Police, working with KT, have uncovered 115 illegal relay stations that altered 010 phone numbers for use in voice phishing and purchase-agency scams. During the crackdown, 5,580 pieces of communications equipment, including SIM boxes and iPhone-type devices, were seized.
The National Police Agency said on the 18th that, in cooperation with KT since the 12th of last month, it conducted an intensive crackdown on organizations operating number-altering equipment, arresting 84 people involved in installation and management, of whom 54 were detained.
The equipment is a means of making calls from overseas appear to come from domestic 010 numbers. Investigations found that overseas phishing organizations used it to disguise themselves as financial or public institutions before approaching victims.
The measure focused on cutting off the communications infrastructure behind voice phishing and new types of scam crimes such as so-called "no-show" purchase-agency fraud. KT screened suspicious lines using its in-house artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and police conducted a nationwide investigation based on that information.
Police believe that the large-scale removal of illegal relay equipment has reduced the occurrence of damage. They explained that voice phishing in May fell 19% from the previous month and purchase-agency fraud dropped 24%.
Since January this year, police have also been operating a system with KT that uses AI models to detect and block numbers suspected of phishing. They plan to expand cooperation with telecom carriers to identify similar equipment early and to intensify crackdowns on organized crime.
Jung Sun-il, executive director of KT's Network Operations Innovation Division, said, "We will use AI technology to work closely with the National Police Agency and prevent customer harm."
Oh Chang-bae, head of the National Police Agency's Integrated Response Team for Telecommunications and Financial Fraud, said, "Voice phishing and new types of scam crimes are representative organized crimes that abuse communications networks," adding, "We will swiftly detect and crack down on illegal relay stations and do our best to prevent harm to the public."
