Voice phishing attacks hit record high in South Korea, with more male and young victims

According to the document "Voice phishing victim relief application status (age and gender) since 2020" submitted by Heo Young, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, a total of 70,870
Of the 81 cases, the largest number of victims were those in their 60s or older, at 29,688. Victims in their 50s accounted for 25,327 cases, with those in their 50s or older accounting for roughly 70%.
The proportion of young people affected by crime, which was 4% at the beginning of the 2020s, will increase to 10.5% for those in their 20s and 3.5% for those in their 20s by the end of 2024.
The number of victims in their 20s more than doubled to 9.1%. By gender, more than half of victims were women between 2020 and 2022, but the number of victims among men has suddenly increased to surpass women. The hospital said, "Fake investment sites and loan scams are
"The rapid increase in voice phishing in the financial sector has led to an increase in victims among young working adults and middle-aged and older men," he said.
Since 2021, the number of cases has remained at 12,000 to 13,000 per year, but in the first half of 2025, it will exceed 10,000, reaching a record high.
A new method of phishing, which involves spoofing parcels or registered mail, is also on the rise. Scammers send messages to victims to trick them into downloading malicious apps, or scare them by pretending to be from law enforcement agencies.
Heo said, "If we don't strengthen public relations efforts to prevent damage and operate a real-time blocking system, anyone could become a victim."