Case 1: Wild-goose dad Lee, who resides in South Korea, recently fell victim to a voice phishing call, resulting in a significant loss of money. “The caller claimed to have kidnapped my wife and child in the United States and demanded money. The caller was very specific about my family’s personal information, and I kept hearing screams over the phone. The caller kept calling me until I deposited the money, so I couldn’t report it.” Lee was shocked to realize that he had become a victim of this voice phishing scam.
Case 2: Ms. Kim, a woman living in South Korea, recently received an international call from the Consulate General in Los Angeles. The consulate informed her that Mr. A, a U.S.-based man who had been communicating with her via KakaoTalk, was involved in a “romance scam.” Ms. Kim had already transferred 10 million won to Mr. A, whom she had never met. However, Kim firmly believes that “the man is a good person and wouldn’t have lied to me. We developed our love online,” Kim said.
Voice phishing scams targeting Koreans who have moved abroad and their families back home have become increasingly sophisticated, making them difficult to identify. Some Koreans living in the United States are also engaging in “romance scams,” wherein they approach Korean individuals online, typically through social media, and request large sums of money to be transferred.
A recent typical case of a voice phishing scam was reported to the Consulate General in Los Angeles, where a scammer called a family member in Korea and demanded a significant amount of money, claiming that a family member in the United States was in danger.
The scammers initially frighten the victims by falsely claiming that their children, spouses, or other family members in the United States have been kidnapped or imprisoned. The moment the victim falls for the scam, they are prevented from verifying the facts or contacting law enforcement. The scammers take advantage of the time difference and distance between Korea and the United States, urging victims to send large amounts of money as quickly as possible.
In particular, recent voice phishing scammers have targeted family members in the United States, armed with specific information about their residence, educational or work locations, and family relationships.
The scammers are known to collect daily information about victims from social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. This deceitful tactic allows scammers to acquire specific personal information and recent activities of families living far away from each other.
“In recent years, voice phishing scammers have acquired detailed information about Koreans living in the U.S. and are now targeting their families in Korea,” said Kyunghan Kang, a police consul at the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea. “Once the call is connected, scammers continue to stall for time, preventing family members from verifying their safety or reporting the call to the police. Korean families should not rush to send money if they receive a suspicious call.”
Families should also remain vigilant against romance scams, where scammers contact targets on social media, convincing them to send large sums of money. Additionally, they should be cautious of scams involving luring individuals into nude video calls and subsequently threatening to distribute the video.
Law enforcement authorities urge people to be suspicious of calls demanding money due to a family member’s alleged kidnapping or accident. If the caller is persistent and pressures you to send money urgently, it is likely a scam.
For reporting voice phishing scams, the South Korean National Police Agency (112), Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) (213-486-6630), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (310-824-4300) are accepting complaints.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
