An office worker in her 40s, identified as A, recently received a call from a place calling itself a "insurance checkup center." The agent said, "As a token of appreciation for diligent premium payments, we will give you a 10% discount on your insurance premium." A said she hung up after saying, "Call me later," but starting a few days later, she began receiving multiple calls a day from unfamiliar numbers pitching insurance enrollment.
Recently, companies using names such as "insurance checkup center," "insurance analyst," and "insurance remodeling center" have been approaching consumers as if offering insurance analysis consultations, then extracting personal information and using it for sales. These companies call to say they will check whether a premium discount is possible, and if the consumer shows interest, they end the call by saying they will connect the consumer with a "specialist in charge." After that, a corporate insurance agency (GA; General Agency) or an insurer's agent contacts the consumer again to continue the sales pitch.
The insurance industry sees the core of these sales tactics as "personal information transactions." The personal information obtained during the consultation is sold to GAs and other entities, and the sales organizations that buy it use it to solicit insurance. An industry official said, "Impersonating institutional names to induce consultations, or collecting and providing personal information without customer consent, are all illegal," adding, "Similar sales are taking place openly."
There are also cases where consumers are induced to cancel existing policies and switch to new ones. If you terminate an existing policy midterm, the surrender value may decrease, and when enrolling in a new policy, coverage may be reduced or enrollment restricted depending on changes in health status.
The financial authorities and the industry are urging consumers to stay vigilant. Public institutions or the financial authorities do not request personal information by phone or solicit insurance enrollment.
To block unwanted insurance sales calls, you should make it clear during the consultation that "you refuse solicitation for insurance enrollment." Financial product distributors are obligated to immediately reflect the consumer's refusal. Signing up for the "Do Not Call" service, which blocks marketing contacts across the financial sector, is also cited as a countermeasure.