'Retired Police Officers Mobilized' to Establish Community Financial Fraud Safety Net

"Our Neighborhood Financial Fraud Prevention Officer"
National Police Agency and Toss Bank Sign Partnership Agreement

The National Police Agency and Toss Bank are establishing a community-based safety net to prevent financial fraud by utilizing retired police officers.

On May 28, the National Police Agency announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Toss Bank to prevent and eradicate electronic communication financial fraud. This agreement was established to leverage the on-site expertise of retired police officers for the prevention of financial fraud through the “Our Neighborhood Financial Fraud Prevention Officer” (hereinafter referred to as “Prevention Officer”) program. The program will provide customized prevention education and patrol activities for financially vulnerable groups, including the elderly, in order to build a safety net closely connected to local communities. Oh Chang-bae, Head of the Integrated Response Team for Electronic Communication Financial Fraud at the National Police Agency, and Eunmi Lee, CEO of Toss Bank, attended the signing ceremony.

Oh Chang-bae, Head of the Integrated Response Team for Telecommunication Financial Fraud at the National Police Agency, and Eunmi Lee, CEO of Toss Bank, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to prevent and eradicate telecommunication financial fraud. Photo by the National Police Agency

Prevention Officers will be organized in pairs. They will conduct lectures to prevent financial crime for middle-aged and elderly individuals aged 50 and older in the jurisdictions of 14 police stations in Seoul, including Gangnam, Mapo, and Yeongdeungpo. The lectures will cover analysis of damage cases and initial response guidelines for phishing crimes. In addition, the officers will use police substations as bases for their activities, patrolling bank ATMs, accommodation facilities, and subway station lockers.

In April, Toss Bank selected and trained 28 retired police officers for the program. Their activities will take place from June to October.

The first group of 28 Prevention Officers is comprised of veterans with an average of more than 30 years of police experience. Many are field experts who have worked on dedicated voice phishing response teams and have investigated related crimes. The know-how they gained in preventing damage during their active service is expected to be applied to their activities as Prevention Officers.

The National Police Agency plans to strengthen customized education for financially vulnerable groups who face difficulties in preventing damage due to lack of information, so that they can more easily understand and respond to complex financial fraud schemes.

Oh Chang-bae, Head of the Integrated Response Team for Electronic Communication Financial Fraud at the National Police Agency, stated, “It is highly significant that the expertise and field experience of retired police officers are being harnessed for a new social role in preventing financial fraud. We will do our utmost in cooperation with Toss Bank to ensure that citizens can enjoy a safer daily life, free from financial fraud.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.