Voice Phishing - The Kidnap Scam

Thursday, 12 August 2010 09:30

This week a Jeonju woman reported a surprise phone call. It went something like this: "We have taken your son. We have his phone. We are monitoring your phone. If you call the police, you will never see him again. His name is __, his birthdate is __, his phone number is ___, his i.d. number is ___. Make a bank deposit of 5 million won to this bank number: __. You have 10 minutes to comply, or we will kill him. If you call the police, we will kill him."
What would you do?
Her son lives in Pohang. Fortunately for this particular mom, her husband was sitting next to her. He just happened to be talking on the phone with their son, who was having a normal day in Pohang.
This voice-phishing formula is not new. It was reported two years ago on the Hub. Last year alone Jeonbuk police arrested 34 suspected voice-phishers, while 187 reports did not lead to an arrest. Also since last year, about 50 moms in Namwon reported such attempts. Most were not duped; but many distraught mothers made the demanded deposit. (Usually to an account in China)
Why do people believe these scams? Police are saying that the scammers are very intelligent, and playing a better game as time goes by. The information presented by the hackers is very detailed, private, and accurate. Accurate enough to get a mother really scared.
Courtesy, Jeonbuk Ilbo.