‘From victim to perpetrator’ Voice phishing techniques become more sophisticated day by day… How to respond?

According to statistics recently released by the National Police Agency, the total number of voice phishing damages that occurred from January to May of this year was 8,434, and the damage amounted to a whopping 256.3 billion won. Voice phishing is now considered a serious social problem as the number of victims has increased significantly every year since the first report was received in 2006.

The government also defines voice phishing as a crime against the people's livelihood and has come up with various measures and is carrying out large-scale prevention and promotion activities, but the damage does not appear to be decreasing at all. This is because criminal methods are becoming more sophisticated day by day, to the point where various countermeasures are useless.

The strategies of voice phishing gang members have become more sophisticated. The slurred speech that was ridiculed in the media a few years ago has long since disappeared. In addition to false phone numbers, fake websites, and manipulated official documents, even malicious programs appeared. By hacking the victim's cell phone, he was able to control the entire situation at will. The division of various roles, such as prosecutors, Financial Supervisory Service employees, and credit card company counselors, has also become essential.

The problem is that as their methods become more sophisticated, the number of cases where voice phishing victims are seen as perpetrators is increasing. The author has also witnessed many such cases in the field. In fact, in the case of a woman, Ms. A, early this year, she was singled out as a voice phishing agent and was investigated by the police. When we looked into the details, we found that she was also a victim.

One day, Mr. A received a call from people pretending to be prosecutors that he was involved in a financial crime. They pushed Mr. A from the beginning, mentioning the ‘possibility of arrest’. At that time, Mr. A called the Financial Supervisory Service and the Prosecutor's Office to directly confirm the fact, but in this case, the people who hacked Mr. A's cell phone pretended to be employees and gave false answers. They also had Mr. A capture and report all contact information and write down the disadvantages he would face if he ignored instructions every day. Mr. A, who was gaslighted, eventually transferred tens of millions of won to these organizations.

The voice phishing organization's crimes did not end here. Mr. A was also used as a cash collection device. Because of this, although Mr. A was a victim, he also had to undergo police investigation as a suspect. Mr. A, who was booked on fraud charges, was fortunately acquitted, but was unable to properly recover the damages he had incurred for the tens of millions of won he had lost.

There are many cases of luring people with the lure of employment. The method is to recruit people by posting job postings as if it were a normal company and then hand over the responsibility of collection. In the beginning, the general trend is to assign promised tasks and then, as trust builds, to give various reasons and have them deliver cash. The main targets are people in their 30s and 40s who are in desperate need of employment for economic reasons. However, unlike the case of Mr. A, who also suffered great economic damage, the possibility of punishment in this case can be said to be quite high. You must prove that you were completely unaware that you were involved in a crime, and this process is not easy.

Therefore, if you are involved in a voice phishing crime in any case, you must take quick action. In the case of collection measures, since proving 'intention' has a great influence on the judgment of guilt or innocence, you must logically organize and argue the circumstances favorable to you in an investigative agency or court. Victims also need to quickly go through the reporting process with the help of a professional lawyer and then collect evidence that can help apprehend the perpetrator.

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