Gov't warns public against text message scams ahead of Lunar New Year holiday

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Gov't warns public against text message scams ahead of Lunar New Year holiday

A person holds a phone displaying KT's alerts service against suspected text message scams, on Dec. 17, 2024. [KT]

A person holds a phone displaying KT's alerts service against suspected text message scams, on Dec. 17, 2024. [KT]

 
The government warned the public against an expected increase in text message scams targeting the Lunar New Year holiday and launched a 24-hour monitoring system to combat the issue. 
 
The Ministry of Science and ICT, along with related financial, police and internet security authorities, issued a warning on Monday against smishing scams that impersonate public institutions and urged recipients to check fines or penalties for vehicles amid the anticipated increase in holiday traffic. Other deceptive messages may involve malicious apps disguised as holiday gift notifications or fake money transfer requests.
 

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Authorities have also warned against mass-distributed text messages claiming to offer tax refunds, taking advantage of the year-end settlement period.  
 
The warning follows a sharp increase in damage caused by text scams spreading malicious apps, with most cases involving impersonations of public institutions or social media companies.  
 
According to the government's data from 2022 to 2024, 1.62 million of the 2.72 smishing cases reported, or 59.4 percent, involved the impersonation of public institutions, demanding payment of fines or penalties.  
 
Scams targeting social media accounts surged to 460,000 cases, or 16.9 percent, while fraud cases involving impersonations of acquaintances, such as fake wedding invitations and obituaries, accounted for 420,000 cases, or 15.5 percent,
 
The government also highlighted the growing threat of "quishing" scams, which use QR codes — commonly found at events or on shared e-scooters — to deceive victims into downloading malicious apps.
 
Since malicious apps installed via such scams can lead to significant financial losses, the government urged individuals to confirm the sender’s identity through a phone or video call before downloading any apps.  
 
Authorities also warned about online shopping scams. Buyers are advised to verify the business’s credentials, seller history, customer reviews and any reported complaints when purchasing holiday gifts or items priced suspiciously low,
 
To ensure secure transactions, individuals are encouraged to use credit cards that allow payment cancellations and to avoid buyers who request cash transactions in exchange for additional discounts.
 
Financial authorities have also highlighted the increasing number of scams targeting elderly individuals. Fraudsters often impersonate financial institutions, requesting money transfers or advising victims to take loans from banks. They may claim there are issues with credit cards or falsely convince victims that they are involved in criminal cases.
 
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet and Security Agency announced a plan to operate a 24-hour monitoring system during the Lunar New Year holiday to address message fraud.  
 
Major mobile operators — SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ — in collaboration with the Korea Association for ICT Promotion and the Korea Communications Commission, will send advisory text messages to users, alerting them to smishing risks.  
 

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]
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