Man in 20s Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for Voice Phishing Scam Recruited Via Job Site

A man in his 20s has been sentenced to prison in his first trial for participating in a voice phishing scam after being recruited through a job-seeking website. The defendant, identified as A (27), was indicted on charges of acting as a cash courier for a voice phishing organization, receiving a total of 96 million won from victims over four instances between March and May of last year and handing it over to the organization. On the 19th, the Criminal Division 2 of the Chuncheon District Court sentenced A to one year in prison for violating the Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures Against the Leakage of Personal Information.

The voice phishing organization posed as employees of financial institutions, including Shinhan Savings Bank, luring victims with loan offers and then inducing them to repay existing loans. Subsequently, they impersonated employees from Jeonbuk Bank, demanding money as a penalty fee for alleged breaches of contract related to the original loans. A played a role in collecting funds through these fraudulent schemes.

The court acknowledged the need for punishment, citing the significant social harm caused by electric communication financial fraud, which is planned and organized, targeting unspecified individuals and generating extensive damage. However, considering the defendant's role and the actual profit obtained, the court deemed it somewhat harsh to hold him fully responsible for the entire victim loss. The court also took into account that this was the defendant's first offense.