It is anticipated that text message scams (smishing) and cyber scams will increase around the Lunar New Year holiday.
On the 19th, government departments including the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Commission expressed concerns about potential damage from scams impersonating holiday gifts and remittances, as well as delivery and refund fraud and fake shopping malls, urging extra caution.
Concerns about the increase in text message scams are growing. There is a high possibility of malicious messages being circulated related to fines and penalties inquiries and year-end tax refund claims around the holiday. There are also cases of inducing the installation of malicious apps by impersonating gifts or remittances, so caution is necessary. Damage caused by the distribution of malicious apps is increasing, with types impersonating public institutions being the most common at 1.62 million cases (59.4%), followed by account thefts from social media (16.9%) and impersonation of acquaintances (15.5%). There are also concerns about QR code phishing (Qsing) utilizing QR codes.
To prevent text message scams, if you receive delivery notices for items you did not purchase, payment requests, or refund account input texts, you should not click on the URLs and must verify the facts. To prevent damage from remote control caused by malicious app installations, do not comply with requests until you have accurately verified the other party.
To prevent damage from fake shopping malls, if you find advertisements for excessively cheap holiday gifts, you should verify the business information, reviews, and customer complaints. It is recommended to use credit cards that allow cancellations, and sellers that encourage cash transactions should be approached with caution. It is safe to use the Korean National Police Agency's internet fraud inquiry service to check whether a damage report has been filed before completing a transaction.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency are operating a 24-hour detection system for responding to text message scams and urgently blocking malicious app distribution sites. The Korea Communications Commission is sending cautionary text messages about smishing in cooperation with the three mobile carriers (SK Telecom, KT, LG Uplus). The Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service are emphasizing fraud prevention targeting the elderly and advised confirming with the official number of credit card companies in cases of suspected voice phishing related to credit card deliveries.