A restaurant owner's quick wits, after noticing a suspicious cash envelope placed under an air conditioner outdoor unit, led to the arrest of a voice phishing money collector and prevented damage.
According to the Yangju Police Station on the 25th, at about 5 p.m. on Dec. 30 last year, owner A at a restaurant in Yangju was watching a real-time closed-circuit (CC) TV feed of the parking lot when a suspicious situation was spotted.
An elderly woman who had been on a phone call left a black envelope under the outdoor unit and disappeared.
Suspecting a drug transaction or voice phishing, A went out to check and found 14 million won in cash in the envelope.
Right after A filed a report to 112, a suspicious man B who arrived by taxi appeared in the parking lot. Sensing B was a voice phishing money collector, A began stalling for time by sharing the situation with responding officers and approaching B to draw him into conversation. When regular customers and soldiers visiting the restaurant arrived, A asked for help.
Together they went to B and restrained B, who was trying to delete call logs on a mobile phone. B was eventually arrested, and the victimized elderly woman did not lose her money.
An investigation found the victim had been deceived by a voice phishing ring impersonating a community center employee and a police officer. Members of the ring called the victim and asked, "Your nephew came with a resident registration card and a power of attorney; is this your nephew?"
When the victim replied there was no such nephew, another member impersonating a police officer called immediately and, giving various reasons, said, "There is suspected leakage of personal information," and instructed, "Cash is needed for the investigation, so prepare the money and leave it at the designated place." The victim in her 80s was found to have been deceived by this impersonation call and left the cash at the designated location.
The Yangju Police Station awarded A a certificate of appreciation for contributing to the prevention of damage.