Scammed 30 million won, coin invested and refunded to 2.7 billion won “Beware of phishing”

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Some of the damages from voice phishing (telecommunications finance fraud), which seemed to be unrecoverable, were invested in virtual currency (virtual asset) and returned to 9 times.

However, since these cases are only a small part, it is important to understand the tips for preventing fraud damage above all and be aware of the large volatility when investing in virtual currency.

According to the cryptocurrency exchange Upbit on the 13th, Mr. A extorted 190 million won from victim B through voice phishing in November 2018 and invested 30 million won in the cryptocurrency Ethereum at Upbit.

Then, Upbit, who discovered something suspicious during the deposit and withdrawal process, reported to the bank as a suspected case of fraud, and immediately blocked the deposit and withdrawal of Mr. A’s account.

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Upbit then returned the Ethereum remaining in Mr. A’s account to Mr. B this month after two years and four months through cooperation with the investigative agency.

Meanwhile, the price of virtual currency surged, led by Bitcoin, and as a result, Mr. B received a refund of 270 million won in won.

Of the total damage, the remaining 160 million won invested in cryptocurrency through other exchanges was not finally received, but this alone exceeded the total damage amount.

According to Upbit, the price of Ethereum at the closing price (9:00 am) rose 700% from 224,000 won per piece on November 1, 2018 to 1787,000 won on March 1, 2018.

An official of Upbit said, “Upbit always monitors abnormal transactions and takes immediate action to prevent customer damage. The most important thing is to eradicate voice phishing crime so that no one is harmed.”

To prevent voice phishing, it’s best to be suspicious of unknown phone numbers or Internet addresses (URLs) in text messages.

Also, if you are asked to install an application (app) of unknown origin on your smartphone, you should never respond.

This is because the account number or personal information may be leaked in the case of a malicious voice phishing app. Even if you have installed the app, you should never enter your password.

If you have been fooled by a flash and have already sent money to the account guided by the voice phishing organization, you should immediately contact the bank customer center, the police (☎182), or the Financial Supervisory Service (☎1332) to request a suspension of payment.

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