The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency prevented approximately 10.3 billion won in damages and arrested 718 suspects this year through voice phishing prevention activities and intensive investigations.
The agency said on the 27th that it had arrested 718 suspects in voice phishing cases this year, detaining 56 of them.
Police have been focusing on blocking damages and arresting criminal organizations by pursuing initiatives such as a "Plan to Strengthen Field Police Voice Phishing Prevention Capabilities" and "Targeted Prevention Activities Against Phishing Crimes."
In particular, considering that a significant portion of voice phishing crimes begin with the installation of malicious applications or access to fake websites, police also operate a system to monitor the use of malicious apps in real time and respond immediately.
The voice phishing methods detected in the field were so elaborate that victims did not even believe explanations from police who had been dispatched to the scene.
Last month in Goyang, an elderly couple in their 80s nearly lost their entire fortune of 1.5 billion won after being deceived by a voice phishing organization impersonating the Financial Supervisory Service and prosecutors. At the time, the couple had gathered 1.5 billion won into a single account following the criminals' instructions.
The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency's regional prevention patrol unit, which had confirmed signs of the crime, visited the couple's home, but they refused to even open their front door, telling police, "There has been no damage."
After lengthy persuasion, police confirmed the account status and immediately took measures to suspend payment, preventing 1.5 billion won in damages.
In April, a report was received stating that "my wife went to Chuncheon to withdraw money," and police were dispatched to Gapyeong Station through location tracking. At the time, the victim was about to hand over 15 million won after meeting a cash collector from a voice phishing organization at Gapyeong Station.
After spotting the victim's vehicle, police made an urgent request to extend the train's stopping time in preparation for the possibility that the victim or the collector might board a train and flee.
Police then found the victim after walking through the station calling out the vehicle number. Police prevented the money from being handed over and also arrested the cash collector who was at the scene.
A similar case occurred in May in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang. Police arrived at a bank after receiving a report of a suspected voice phishing case, but the victim had already returned home.
An investigation found that the criminals had instructed the victim to "go home and hide because police may come when you withdraw the check."
The victim even became angry at the police who had come to find him, insisting that he had to urgently transfer 190 million won to the criminal.
After many twists and turns, police met the victim in person and continued to persuade him by explaining the voice phishing methods, eventually stopping the transfer and preventing the damage.
As police prevention activities and intensive crackdowns continued, both the number of voice phishing cases and the scale of damage in the northern Gyeonggi region also declined significantly.
From January to June this year, 557 voice phishing cases occurred in the northern Gyeonggi region, a 39.8% decrease from 925 cases in the same period last year. The amount of damage also fell 53.9%, from 29.44 billion won to 13.56 billion won.
The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency explained that voice phishing organizations' methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and that there are quite a few cases in which victims mistake the criminals' instructions for actual demands from investigative agencies.
Police said they plan to continue strengthening field-centered prevention activities and pursuing intensive investigations against voice phishing crime organizations.
