The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) on the 29th urged caution, saying multiple new voice phishing cases were confirmed in which scammers impersonated community service centers to prompt people to verify personal information and install malicious apps.
The scam uses the names of administrative and public agencies to build trust, creates an urgent situation to prompt immediate action by victims, and combines phone calls with KakaoTalk to approach them in stages.
According to KISA, the scammers approached victims by impersonating administrative agencies such as "○○-dong community service center," claiming someone was trying to issue a certified copy and an abstract copy under the customer's name and demanding identity verification.
They then say a request is needed to block identity theft and induce victims to call a fake main number impersonating a credit information agency, or to take further steps via a KakaoTalk channel disguised as a related agency. In some cases, they also demanded clicking an L.I.N.C included in a KakaoTalk message or installing a malicious app.
If the L.I.N.C is clicked or a malicious app is installed, the phone can be controlled remotely, leading to personal data theft or financial losses such as opening mobile phone accounts, executing loans, and transferring funds.
KISA said, "If you receive a call or text that appears to impersonate an administrative agency, do not respond immediately and verify the facts with the relevant agency," and added, "Do not click L.I.N.Cs of unknown origin included in KakaoTalk or text messages, and do not comply with requests to install remote-control apps."