One Year of the Integrated Response Team... Voice Phishing Crimes Significantly Curbed

Pan-Governmental Integrated Response Team for Telecommunications Financial Fraud

Financial Losses Fall 76.4% Year-on-Year in August

24/7 Response System, 281,000 Consultations Handled Cumulatively

"Sir, the person you’re talking to on the phone right now is not a police officer. You must trust me!" Last month, a victim who had been deceived by a scammer impersonating the police, prosecutors, and the Financial Supervisory Service in succession became suspicious only after withdrawing 18 million won in cash and finding themselves isolated in a motel. The operator at the Telecommunications Financial Fraud Report and Response Center immediately recognized the situation as a crime and persistently persuaded the victim over the phone, ultimately helping them protect their valuable assets.

Kim Jongcheol, Acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency, and others from the Intergovernmental Integrated Countermeasures Task Force against Telecommunication Financial Fraud are taking a commemorative photo on the afternoon of the 29th at KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, during the first-anniversary event. National Police Agency Photo

On the afternoon of the 29th, the National Police Agency held a ceremony at the KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the first anniversary of the Pan-Governmental Integrated Response Team for Telecommunications Financial Fraud and to review the team's achievements. Comprising the National Police Agency, the Financial Supervisory Service, and other related organizations, the integrated response team began its work in September of last year and, as of the end of last month, had handled a total of 281,178 reports and tips, preventing numerous cases of financial losses.

The progress has been clear. Voice phishing crimes, which peaked in July of last year, have shown a consistent year-over-year decline for 11 consecutive months since the response team’s launch. In particular, the losses from voice phishing in August this year amounted to 25.7 billion won, a 76.4% drop compared to 109 billion won in August last year, marking the lowest monthly loss since 2023.

During the first eight months of this year, the number of voice phishing incidents fell to 8,584 cases, a decrease of 48.8% from 16,765 cases during the same period last year. In the same period, the total amount lost to these crimes dropped by 56.3%, falling from 885.6 billion won to 387.1 billion won. Both figures represent a reduction to roughly half their previous amounts.

New types of scams temporarily spiked after October last year as an unintended consequence of the crackdown on voice phishing, but after the integrated response team began proactive and customized countermeasures, these newer scams have been decreasing since July of this year. In August alone, there were 1,127 new scam cases, with a total loss of 58.4 billion won—the lowest monthly figures since the response team’s formation.

The police have shifted their investigative approach, moving from a focus on after-the-fact investigations to preemptively blocking criminal tactics. Last November, they introduced an "emergency blocking" system that suspends phone numbers used in crimes within 10 minutes of a report. As of last month, 118,927 such numbers had been blocked. In the past, suspending use of a number took more than two days, but through cooperation with the three major telecommunication companies and Samsung Electronics, it is now possible to block numbers used for criminal activities within 10 minutes.

In addition, applications and websites used for phishing crimes are analyzed jointly by specialized security firms, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), telecommunication companies, and other parties. Based on these analyses, such tools are quickly blocked. Websites operated for criminal purposes are monitored in real time, and even backup or replica sites are examined and shut down as needed.

However, certain new types of scams are not covered under the current Telecommunications Financial Fraud Refund Act, meaning that accounts related to these forms of fraud cannot be suspended, limiting efforts to halt the spread of losses. Since the end of June, the integrated response team has implemented a "transaction suspension system for suspected scam accounts," aiming to block further outflow of stolen funds and enhance victim protection. The National Police Agency is also pursuing legislative reform to establish a comprehensive response framework for new and evolving multi-victim fraud schemes.

On this day, Kim Jongcheol, Acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency, presented plaques of appreciation to partner institutions and certificates of commendation to three outstanding employees. Acting Commissioner Kim stated, "We have built a comprehensive, one-stop response system that covers finance, telecommunications, and criminal investigations. We have shifted our approach from after-the-fact recovery to proactive crime prevention and blocking. We will not become complacent with our results, but will further upgrade the system and work closely with partner organizations to completely shut down ever-evolving phishing crimes at their source."

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