SK Telecom warns of cyber scams during Chuseok
By Chyung Eun-ju
In smishing, cyber scammers send a text message including a link designed to steal a receiver’s personal information. The message above, for example, reads, “Your personal information has been leaked. Tighten your security by clicking www.xxcard.com.” / Korea Times file
Korean wireless telecommunications operator SK Telecom warned Monday that cyber scammers will be “smishing” ahead of Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving holiday in the first week of October.
Smishing is like “phishing,” but the scammers use text messages instead of phone calls to defraud victims.
“We expect that the Chuseok holiday will be when smishing goes into in full swing,” said an SK Telecom official.
“Scammers will be pretending to be parcel delivery services, because many Koreans send gifts for the occasion.
“Middle-aged people and the elderly who are not adept with using a smartphone should be more alert.”
The cyber attack normally happens during holiday periods, according to SK.
The operator analyzed is users, around 26 million, and found that smishing texts more than doubled in a year. There were more than 4,226,000 cases of smishing texts from January to August this year, an 81.8 percent increase in a year.
Free smishing scam consultations are available by calling 110 or 118 while SK Telecom’s app “T Guide” also provides the same help.
For users of other major telecommunication providers like KT or LG UPlus, the “Whowho” app is available to help.