Police on the 23rd issued an "emergency phishing advisory," saying there have been a series of phishing (fraud) attempts exploiting public anxiety over the recent Middle East situation.
The three main phishing scenarios reported to the Korean National Police Agency's integrated response unit for telecommunications and financial fraud are: ▲ luring people into investment guidance chat rooms under the pretense of war beneficiary stocks ▲ smishing under the pretense of flight cancellations and rebookings ▲ romance scams (dating fraud) that exploit anxiety, among others.
There were many cases of urging people to join investment guidance chat rooms by claiming to recommend so-called war beneficiary stocks. Police said this is a typical scam method in which scammers induce sign-ups to fake exchanges by promising "a refund of principal and compensation for losses if investment gains are not achieved," then steal only the investment funds.
There were also cases of exploiting controlled airspace conditions in the Middle East to send text messages stating, "Your flight has been canceled due to the Middle East situation. Please log in to rebook or get a refund." Clicking the web address attached to the message led to fake airline or travel agency sites that prompted users to enter credit card information. It is a tactic to steal personal information.
In addition, there were cases of romance scams in which scammers posed as doctors or soldiers in the Middle East to approach victims and request money transfers, and bait texts that claimed to distribute for free a book to help understand and prepare for the principles of the Middle East situation and world affairs while demanding personal information.
Police also warned of possible phishing attempts that impersonate international relief organizations to induce access to fake donation sites, or that exploit programs such as emergency loans for small business owners and fuel cost rebate support.
Police are blocking the phone numbers and web addresses used in the crimes to prevent attempts exploiting the Middle East situation from leading to actual damage. Police also urged, "If voice phishing is suspected, report it immediately to 1394 or 112."