Phone and email scams impersonating the Korean Embassy in the United States are rampant. Caution is required as these people impersonate embassies overseas, the Korean National Police Agency, or the Ministry of Justice to steal personal information and induce money transfers.
Recently, the Korean Embassy in the U.S. issued a warning about ‘financial fraud voice phishing’ through a notice on its website.
The Korean Embassy in the U.S. said, “It has recently been confirmed that a financial fraud or email phishing crime has occurred by manipulating the calling number and impersonating the Korean Embassy in the U.S.” and added, “Beware of calls or emails that directly request personal information by impersonating public institutions such as embassies abroad.” “Please do it,” he emphasized.
According to the Korean Embassy in the United States, the most recent voice phishing attack targets Koreans.
After calling the Korean person, the fraudster informs or leaves a message saying, ‘I am an officer at the Washington Embassy. Currently, 120 Koreans, including Mr. Kang 00, have been arrested as drug offenders and are scheduled to be forcibly repatriated to Korea.
In particular, fraudsters are meticulous in leaving their caller ID as the main number of the Korean Embassy in the United States (202-939-5600). It is known that if the person answering the phone is deceived, they are asked for sensitive personal information and even encouraged to send money.
The Korean Embassy in the U.S. said, “Many inquiries regarding voice phishing are being received by local consulates and embassies,” adding, “The embassy does not verify or request personal information over the phone or online. “If you receive a suspicious phone call, please do not panic and do not respond to the request.”
You should also be wary of scams that impersonate embassy employees and lead recipients to access fake websites to obtain personal information.
The Korean Embassy in the U.S. said, “Scammers impersonate consulate general or embassy employees and trick recipients of calls from the Korean National Police Agency or the Ministry of Justice by telling them that they have something to convey, then trick them into accessing a fake website, saying, ‘You can check your criminal record.’ “Since then, they have shown a variety of criminal methods, such as securing personal information and inducing remittances,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Korean Embassy in the United States advised that if you receive a suspicious phone call pretending to be an employee of an overseas embassy, you should report it to the police station in your jurisdiction or to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It is also important to prevent damage by informing people around you about voice phishing methods that impersonate employees of embassies abroad, which are popular recently.
LA branch reporter Kim Hyeong-jae
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2024-12-30 15:23:00