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Text messages about SIM card replacements could be phishing scams, SK Telecom warns

Published: 02 May. 2025, 16:27 Updated: 02 May. 2025, 17:58

LEE JAE-LIM
[email protected]

SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang speaks at a daily briefing to explain about misunderstandings related to SIM card replacements in central Seoul on May 2. [SK TELECOM]

SK Telecom has warned that text messages claiming SIM card replacements are available could be phishing scams, stressing that the company has not sent any such alerts since the hacking incident.

While reservations for new SIM card installations can be made at SK Telecom retail stores nationwide, the carrier has not yet issued notifications about the customer queue.

“We will only send such messages when stock levels have been sufficiently replenished and it is the customer’s turn on the waiting list,” said Ryu Jung-hwan, head of the network infrastructure center at SK Telecom, at a daily briefing held in central Seoul on Friday. “When we do send them, they will always come from 114," he said, referring to the official customer service line.

The company plans to abide by an administrative order issued by the Ministry of Science and ICT and temporarily suspend all new mobile service subscriptions offline until the SIM card supply stabilizes.

“SKT will halt new mobile plan subscriptions across 2,600 T World stores nationwide starting Monday,” said SKT CEO Ryu Young-sang. “Until a concrete solution materializes, all T World stores will suspend new customer consultations and focus solely on handling SIM card replacements for visiting customers. SKT also plans to compensate stores for business losses incurred during this period.”

SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang bows at a press briefing held in central Seoul to apologize for the data breach incident on May 2. [YONHAP]

SKT is suffering from a mass exodus of subscribers since the hacking incident came to light on April 19, with the number of users that switched plans from SKT to other carriers seeing an 87 percent surge in April compared to the previous month.

The figure was 237,000 last month, according to data from the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association on Friday, with 95,953 moving to KT and 86,005 switching to LG U+. On Thursday, an additional 38,716 exited SKT plans.

Automatic registration of the hacking protection service is to be implemented starting Friday, with a target period of complete enrollment of all SKT users by May 14.

The service is a free add-on feature that blocks illegally duplicated SIM cards from being used in other devices.

SKT announced that over 14.42 million users have enrolled in its protection service, with 8.5 million still pending. Automatic enrollment will prioritize elderly customers aged 75 and older, as well as disabled users. The company is also in discussions with budget phone operators about extending automatic enrollment to users on SKT’s network.

A second version of the protection service will launch on May 14, featuring a significant upgrade to support overseas roaming, a function not available in the current version. Existing subscribers will be automatically upgraded to the new service.

To address ongoing shortages, SK Telecom plans to secure 10 million SIM cards by June and continue procurement until supply stabilizes.

Additionally, the carrier will begin holding daily briefings at 10 a.m. starting Friday at SKT’s pressroom in central Seoul to provide transparent updates on its customer protection efforts. These will cover key statistics such as SIM card inventory, reservation status, protection service subscriptions and roaming service availability.

Update, May 2: Added information about format, location and time of daily briefings.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [[email protected]]