Suspicious calls trigger enhanced FDS monitoring

Guardian alerts, more partner banks in the pipeline

ixi-O detects a suspected voice phishing call and sends an alert to the customer. [LG Uplus]
ixi-O detects a suspected voice phishing call and sends an alert to the customer. [LG Uplus]

LG Uplus has partnered with Woori Bank to feed voice phishing risk data detected by its AI calling app ixi-O directly into the bank's fraud monitoring system.

LG Uplus said Tuesday it would launch a service called "ixi-O Voice Phishing Financial Safety," which links telecommunications and financial data in real time.

Under the service, ixi-O transmits risk information to Woori Bank the moment it detects a suspected voice phishing call. Woori Bank then steps up monitoring through its fraud detection system, and if a suspicious transaction occurs, it follows internal procedures — including additional identity verification and customer guidance — to protect the account.

Until now, the financial sector's defenses against voice phishing have centered on transaction data such as account transfers, leaving a gap before any actual financial activity takes place. Banks had limited visibility into whether a customer had spoken with a suspected phishing number, whether their device had been infected with malicious software, or whether they had been targeted by an AI-altered voice.

The new service bridges that gap by connecting call-stage warning signals — which financial institutions struggle to detect on their own — to the financial transaction monitoring layer. When ixi-O flags a suspicious call, the relevant information flows to Woori Bank in real time, triggering heightened transaction surveillance.

LG Uplus and Woori Bank signed an MOU on voice phishing prevention in August last year and have since operated a joint working group to share intelligence on emerging fraud tactics. After a pilot run and technical validation, the two companies built an integration framework that feeds telecom-detected risk signals into the bank's customer protection system in real time.

LG Uplus plans to extend the service's reach beyond individual customers to their families. The company is reviewing a feature that would notify a pre-registered guardian with risk details and response guidance when a dangerous call is detected. It also plans to bring additional financial institutions into the network.

"Voice phishing starts at the call stage and ends in financial harm, so a meaningful prevention effect requires telecom and finance to act together," said Choi Yun-ho, senior vice president and head of the AI Business Group at LG Uplus. "We will continue to expand the customer protection framework that connects telecommunications and finance through ixi-O, doing our utmost to safeguard our customers' assets from financial crime."

Meanwhile, LG Uplus is also stepping up broader customer protection efforts to reduce spam and voice phishing damage. The company is promoting everyday security services through its "Protect My Security" feature and expanding fraud prevention activities using its on-device AI technology Anti-DeepVoice and AI-based spam-blocking solution ixi SpamFilter.


woo@heraldcorp.com