Voice phishing report filed at Seoul's Geumcheon Police Station on June 6

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency transfers case to major crimes unit

Suspects impersonated government officials, extorting 50 million won

A police car is parked outside a local police substation in Seoul. [Unrelated to article. Photo by Yoon Seung-hyeon, trainee reporter]
A police car is parked outside a local police substation in Seoul. [Unrelated to article. Photo by Yoon Seung-hyeon, trainee reporter]

By Kim Do-yoon, The Herald Business

Police have launched an intensive investigation into the deaths of a mother and her son, who are believed to have taken their own lives after losing tens of millions of won to a voice phishing scheme.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday it "deeply regrets" the deaths of the two, which occurred Saturday in Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province, and announced that its major crimes unit had taken over the case from Geumcheon Police Station in Seoul.

According to police, the bodies of a woman in her 50s and her son in his 20s were found Saturday morning inside an apartment in Eumseong-gun.

The call reporting the deaths came from a relative of the pair, who told police they had been unable to reach the mother since the previous day. Officers responded and found the two dead.

A note was found at the scene. It reportedly said the two had been struggling in the aftermath of a voice phishing scam.

Two weeks before their deaths, on June 6, the son had filed a voice phishing complaint at Geumcheon Police Station in Seoul.

He had received a call from scammers while in Eumseong-gun. The callers impersonated Korea Customs Service officials, falsely claimed he was implicated in a crime and persuaded him to cut off contact with the outside world. He then purchased 50 million won ($32,600) worth of virtual assets and transferred them to an unidentified digital wallet, according to the investigation.

He reported the fraud to Geumcheon Police Station immediately afterward, but the money had already been lost.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's major crimes unit will continue pursuing the perpetrators.

"We are working with all available resources to stamp out government-impersonation voice phishing, including sharing victim-related information with the five major virtual asset exchanges — Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax — to help prevent financial fraud," a police official said. "Tracing virtual assets is not easy given their nature, but we are working to track the movement of the stolen funds."

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline 1393, available 24/7. Please request a translator for English-language services.


kido@heraldcorp.com