Phishers baiting young adults with fake jobs

Phishers are hooking young job seekers through fake offers by requesting their bank account and check card numbers over the phone to secure employment.

This type of voice phishing has risen 12.6 percent to 14,964 cases in the first half of this year, the Financial Supervisory Service said on Monday.

Young job seekers have become an easy supply for phishers as they are enthusiastic about being hired. Many also lack financial knowledge.

In the most common approach, phishers post a recruitment ad on job websites. When the job seekers call, a phisher would tell the applicants that they are hired and ask for their bank account numbers. In another common scam, a phisher promises a million won commission for opening a bank account in a company’s name.

Corporate bank accounts are easier to open than individual bank accounts as they require only basic documents. Business accounts rose 18.1 percent to 752 in the first half of the year.

Tourists recently have been targeted. Perpetrators were caught this month opening 52 false accounts in the names of 19 Japanese tourists. Local banks will start sharing passport numbers of foreigners opening accounts.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]