Scammers Exploit Legal Loopholes, Sparking Widespread Losses in the 10 Million Won Range

A 50-something business owner, who has been operating a pension for six years, lost 10.6 million won to a new scam impersonating fire authorities, revealing a legal blind spot that prevents victims from applying for remedies like payment freezes as the crime is not classified as financial fraud under current law.

Mr. Shin received a call early this month from someone impersonating the fire department. The scammer sent a fake business card and official document, claiming full support for fire facility installation costs and pressuring him with an impending inspection deadline. Ultimately, Mr. Shin transferred a total of 10.6 million won in two installments.

Mr. Shin, realizing it was a scam immediately after the transfer, urgently requested a payment stop from his bank, but the bank refused. The bank classified the transaction as fraud occurring during a private transaction, not as financial fraud such as loan scams or impersonation of prosecutors, and advised him to report it directly to the police. Even after police confirmed with a bank representative over the phone that the incident was a phishing crime, the bank's stance remained unchanged.

The fundamental reason for the repetition of such situations lies in legal blind spots. While laws have been enacted to allow immediate freezing of accounts used in voice phishing scams due to a surge in victims, new types of fraud like 'no-show scams' and romance scams are not covered by these provisions. Consequently, even when police verify criminal activity, victim protection measures are not immediately implemented.

Last year alone, there were 315 'no-show scam' cases in Jeonnam Province, with damages amounting to 6 billion won. The government plans to establish supplementary measures next month that will allow victims to apply for payment freezes on fraudulent accounts, contingent on police verification.