Korea, China join in tackling voice phishing

Following a recent increase in the number of Korean victims of voice phishing, or telephone financial fraud, from a group of voice phishing attackers stationed in China, the two countries joined hands to thwart these scams, and their efforts have finally paid off.

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s International Cooperation Center said yesterday that Chinese prosecutors have arrested 23 suspects for phone fraud including the leader of a group who is a Chinese man surnamed Kim.

According to prosecutors, the group had more than 100 employees making random phone calls to siphon bank accounts. Under Kim’s instruction, callers swindled several billion won from Koreans by impersonating bank officials and soliciting victims to deposit all their money into a certain bank account, scaring the victims by saying their “credit card number has been stolen and used by someone.”

Cooperation between the two neighboring countries began recently when Chinese prosecutors requested that Korean prosecutors help in nailing down a group of suspects of telephone fraud, saying, “it has been revealed that Kim’s group of voice phishing attackers has stolen some personal information of Koreans to make bank accounts under their names.”

Upon the request, Korean prosecutors provided detailed information on reported cases of voice phishing victims in Korea.

Korean prosecutors said additional damages have been reported by Korean victims and that the two countries will cooperate to arrest all other suspects. According to Korean prosecution data, the damages from phone fraud has reached over 200 billion won ($184.8 million) over the last three years. More than 1,500 suspects are believed to have fled to China in the past several years. Hwang Cheol-gyu, head of the International Cooperation Center, said “We’ll continue to cooperate with the Chinese.”

By Yim Seung-hye [sharon@joongang.co.kr]

한글 관련 기사 [일간스포츠]
한국인 노린 초대형 중국 보이스피싱 조직 적발
한국인을 노린 중국 내 대규모 보이스피싱(전화금융사기) 조직이 적발됐다.

24일 검찰은 “중국 공안부가 보이스피싱 조직 총책인 중국인 김모씨를 비롯해 주요 조직원 23명을 구속한 데 이어 잔여 조직원들을 계속 추적 중”이라 밝혔다.

이번에 적발된 조직은 100여명의 하부 조직원을 두고 점조직 형태로 운영하면서 한국 내 피해자들에게 전화를 걸어 금융기관 직원을 사칭, 신용카드가 도용됐다며 특정계좌로 입금을 유도하는 등의 방식으로 수십억원을 빼돌린 것으로 드러났다. 검찰은 이번 사건을 계기로 중국내 보이스피싱 조직 수사에 탄력이 붙을 것으로 기대하고 있다.

검찰은 또 대중 수사공조를 통해 2만명의 피해자로부터 1500억여원을 가로채고 중국으로 도주한 피의자 등 대형 경제사범 15명의 소재를 파악해 추적하고 있다.

최근 3년간 보이스피싱으로 인한 국내 피해액은 2000억원이 넘는 것으로 추산된다.