Elderly Customer’s Anxious Behavior Leads to Prevention of 200 Million Won Voice Phishing Scam

A branch manager of a credit union in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, has prevented a voice phishing scam worth over 200 million won through quick thinking.
Jeon Mi-ae, manager of the Hapdeok branch of Seohae Central Credit Union, grew suspicious of voice phishing on June 24 when a member in his 70s, identified as A, visited the branch appearing unusually anxious.
A was rushing to have an OTP card issued without providing a specific reason, and he was holding a deposit slip for 198 million won that he had just withdrawn from a nearby livestock cooperative.
Manager Jeon repeatedly attempted to persuade A and, while assisting him with installing a mobile app, discovered call logs from numbers posing as the Financial Supervisory Service and other agencies.
Upon installing a security app to verify the situation, she confirmed that A’s smartphone was already under remote control.
Police investigations revealed that A had been deceived by a group of individuals impersonating employees from the post office, credit card companies, the prosecution, and the Financial Supervisory Service. He was in the process of terminating all his existing deposits, totaling 230 million won, to transfer them to a new credit union account.
The scammers had threatened A, claiming he was involved in a financial fraud case worth 5 billion won and was at risk of punishment, and that he needed to temporarily transfer his assets to the state.
It was also revealed that the scammers had provided specific instructions, such as not telling his children and visiting a credit union where he had no prior transaction history to open a new account.
Regarding the situation, Manager Jeon stated that because she had known the elderly customer for a long time, she was able to pay closer attention to his uncharacteristic behavior.
A expressed his gratitude, saying he never imagined he would personally experience something he had only ever seen in the news.
The Dangjin Police Station in South Chungcheong Province awarded a certificate of appreciation to Manager Jeon for protecting the customer’s assets.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.