Spam text messages in South Korea reached a staggering 4.12 billion in 2023, more than tripling from 1.21 billion in 2019. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – For Kim, a 33-year-old office worker, the constant pinging of their smartphone has become a source of irritation. The culprit? An increasing flood of spam text messages that seem to arrive at all hours.
“Given the nature of my work, I’m always on my phone,” Kim said. “Receiving multiple spam messages daily is infuriating.”
Kim’s frustration is not unfounded. According to data from the Korea Communications Commission, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, spam text messages in South Korea reached a staggering 4.12 billion in 2023, more than tripling from 1.21 billion in 2019.
This surge in spam has led to a corresponding rise in “smishing” (SMS phishing) incidents. KISA reported 1,673 cases of smishing in 2023, an eightfold increase from four years prior, with financial damages skyrocketing to 14.4 billion won, a 36-fold increase.
The problem extends beyond mere annoyance. An, a 48-year-old parent of an elementary school student, expressed concern: “I’ve told my child not to open texts from unknown numbers, but I worry about personal information leaks or unexpected charges if curiosity gets the better of him.”
Government officials attribute the spike to an increase in bulk message resenders since 2020 and the use of hacked accounts to distribute spam and smishing messages en masse.
While authorities collaborate with police and telecom companies to filter out malicious texts, completely eradicating the problem remains a challenge.
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained the criminals’ strategy: “Voice phishing and smishing using stolen personal information don’t require significant investment, especially when initiated from overseas. Yet, the potential profits are substantial, motivating criminals to cast a wide net.”
The proliferation of social media has expanded the playground for scammers. Alongside traditional text messages, platforms like Instagram and Telegram have become new avenues for fraud attempts.
A particularly insidious method gaining traction is the “romance scam,” where fraudsters build trust over days or weeks before attempting to extract money.
Jeong Won-ki, director of KISA’s Digital User Protection Division, noted that out of approximately 25 million spam reports received in September, about 800,000 were romance scam-type messages. “This trend is on the rise,” Jeong warned.
The agency suspects that while messages luring users to illegal stock trading chatrooms have decreased following stricter regulations implemented in August, there’s been an uptick in messages emphasizing personal connections or even soliciting prostitution.
Experts emphasize user vigilance as the primary defense. “The most crucial step is to never respond to these messages,” Jeong advised.
Hwang Seok-jin, a professor at Dongguk University’s Graduate School of International Information Protection suggested, “Users should immediately block unknown numbers or IDs without engaging. The government should work with companies to strengthen account creation verification processes and implement long-term bans for accounts involved in illegal activities.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
