A new voice phishing scheme has emerged in which fraudsters impersonate community center employees to report an alleged ID theft, then transfer victims to fake financial regulators and investigators. One victim lost more than 100 million won ($74,800) within three days of the first call.
The Financial Supervisory Service issued a consumer alert Thursday after confirming cases of the new scam, which begins with a call from someone posing as a community center worker.
Last month, a resident in their 60s living in the Chungcheong region received such a call. The fraudster said: "Someone came in with your ID and a power of attorney to obtain a copy of your resident registration, but left in a hurry when we tried to verify their identity. Have you ever lost your national ID card?"
The victim said they had not lost their ID, but the fraudster then raised the possibility of identity theft and directed them to report the matter to Korea Credit Information Services and the Financial Supervisory Service.
The phone numbers the fraudster provided, however, all connected to criminal operatives. When the victim called, a person posing as a Korea Credit Information Services employee redirected them to file a report with the Financial Supervisory Service instead.
A scammer then impersonating a Financial Supervisory Service team leader told the victim they had already been targeted by voice phishing and instructed them to contact a prosecutor in charge — who turned out to be yet another fraudster posing as an FSS official. The call the victim made to report voice phishing was itself a voice phishing operation.
The fraudsters told the victim that "assets would be managed by the state and returned without loss once the investigation concluded," pressuring them to transfer funds. The victim ultimately handed over 100 million won within three days.
New voice phishing tactics: court mail returns, parcel deliveries and card shipments
The FSS said variants of the scam continue to surface beyond the community center impersonation, with fraudsters also using fake court mail returns and unsolicited parcel or card deliveries as lures.
In the court mail scheme, a scammer posing as a court clerk tells the victim that a registered letter was returned undelivered and directs them to a fraudulent website to collect personal details and gauge the victim's financial assets. Another fraudster then poses as a prosecutor and, citing the need for protective measures in a confidential investigation, pressures the victim to isolate themselves at a lodging facility — effectively a self-imposed confinement.
Another variant involves a caller claiming that a credit card the victim never applied for is on its way. The caller directs the victim to a fake customer service center, where they are asked to install a remote-access app under the pretext of verifying identity theft. A second scammer then takes over, posing as a prosecutor or FSS official to further pressure the victim.
The FSS said anyone who receives a call from someone claiming to represent a public institution — and who asks them to dial a specific number, click a link, or install an app — should hang up immediately. Victims should look up the official main number of the relevant agency independently and verify the facts directly, rather than using any contact information provided by the caller.
Korea Credit Information Services does not accept identity theft reports by phone. Individuals can check for identity theft themselves through the Account Info service or the identity theft prevention service. The FSS and investigative agencies never ask anyone to transfer assets under any circumstances.
The FSS said it plans to share details of the scheme across the financial sector and instruct financial firms to monitor for warning signs — such as large early withdrawals or funds split across multiple accounts — through branch counters and fraud detection systems.
An FSS official said the scam "starts with an ordinary-seeming contact, then moves the victim to a number or link provided by the fraudster before demanding money," adding that isolation tactics enforced through secrecy demands are also being used. "If any of these elements apply, hang up immediately and verify directly," the official said.
bbo@heraldcorp.com
