More than 100 reports of phishing scams impersonating overseas diplomatic missions or the Consular Safety Call Center have been filed over the past two years.

According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released today (September 26) by Representative Kim Jun-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, a total of 103 phishing reports impersonating diplomatic missions and the Consular Safety Call Center were received from January last year to July this year.

The Foreign Ministry began tracking such reports last year as reports from overseas diplomatic missions regarding impersonation phishing began to rise.

By year, 90 cases were reported last year, and 13 cases were filed from January to July this year.

By region, the Americas accounted for the highest number at 85 cases, followed by Europe with 11 cases and the Asia-Pacific region with seven cases.

Several factors, including a relatively large Korean expatriate population and higher reporting rates, may have contributed to the concentration of damage reports in the Americas.

When impersonation phishing reports are received, the Foreign Ministry advises complainants to report the incidents to local law enforcement agencies and requests investigations from relevant foreign authorities when necessary.

In addition, the ministry shares details on the activities and tactics of overseas phishing organizations with domestic law enforcement agencies.

Amid these concerns, the Foreign Ministry launched a service on September 21 that displays caller information such as "Consular Safety Call Center" on recipients' mobile phone screens when the center calls South Korean nationals.

The measure was introduced as more people decline calls from unfamiliar numbers amid an increase in voice phishing and spam calls, resulting in cases where citizens failed to answer calls from the Consular Safety Call Center because they did not recognize the calls as coming from the Foreign Ministry.

The ministry expects the caller ID display service will enable the public to more easily identify and answer calls from the Consular Safety Call Center.

"Overseas diplomatic missions and the Consular Safety Call Center are institutions where our people can receive assistance when they are in desperate need of help," Kim said. "The Foreign Ministry must cooperate with the National Police Agency to apprehend criminals and seek measures to prevent further damage."

(Photo: Yonhap News)