A person identified as Mr. A received a call from someone claiming to be from the court's internet registry office. The caller instructed him to collect a court-registered mail that had been returned. Initially taking the call seriously, Mr. A hung up after receiving a voice phishing alert warning from his Samsung Galaxy smartphone. He later confirmed through the Supreme Court customer center that the call was indeed voice phishing and breathed a sigh of relief.
According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 12th, Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus have developed and deployed functions that analyze call content in real time and detect suspected voice phishing calls to protect telecommunications users.
These features are available through Samsung's "Phone" app, SK Telecom's "A. Phone," KT's "Whowho," and LG Uplus's "ixi-O" applications. All call analysis is processed through on-device AI embedded in smartphones rather than external servers to minimize concerns about personal data leakage.
Samsung Electronics provides a "suspected voice phishing call alert" function in the default phone app on Galaxy smartphones. The feature analyzes call content from unknown numbers and provides two-tier alerts: "suspected" (voice phishing suspected) and "warning" (voice phishing detected). SK Telecom's "A. Phone" app also analyzes conversation content in real time during calls and classifies alerts into "suspected" and "danger" levels.
These functions are becoming increasingly sophisticated. LG Uplus's ixi-O features an "Anti-Deep Voice" function that identifies AI-generated fake voices and a "criminal voice detection" function that checks for matches with reported criminals' voices. When voice phishing is suspected, the system alerts users through warning pop-ups and notification sounds. The company also plans to introduce a feature that provides advance notice of suspected voice phishing numbers before calls are answered. KT is lightening its AI engine to work on lower-specification devices and plans to release a single integrated app within the year for easier installation. KT's real-time voice phishing detection accuracy improved from 90.3% in the first quarter of 2025 to 97.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to actively support the continuous development of voice phishing detection technology by private companies including smartphone manufacturers and mobile carriers. The ministry will establish a system where related agencies such as the National Police Agency and Korea Internet & Security Agency can collect, analyze, and share voice phishing-related data in real time for preemptive responses. When personal data processing prohibited under the Personal Information Protection Act is required for public interest technology development, the ministry plans to provide active support through regulatory exceptions.
"Various types of voice phishing crimes, including impersonation of delivery services, family members, and government subsidies, may surge around the Lunar New Year holiday period. I hope people will use smartphone voice phishing detection and alert services to help prevent damage," said Choi Woo-hyuk, Director General of Network Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT.