The new guidelines for voice phishing will mainly reflect a revised law that allows victims of voice phishing scams to be entitled to compensation for their lost money and calls for toughened punishment for the offenders. (Image courtesy of Pixabay/CCL)
SEOUL, April 30 (Korea Bizwire) – The Supreme Court will seek to set new sentencing guidelines on crimes related to voice phishing and insurance fraud in a move to toughen punishment for fraud crimes for the first time in 13 years.
The Sentencing Commission, affiliated with the top court, made the decision to newly include voice phishing and insurance fraud in the sentencing guidelines set for fraud crimes, citing newly evolving crime tactics and a growing number of victims.
The new guidelines for voice phishing will mainly reflect a revised law that allows victims of voice phishing scams to be entitled to compensation for their lost money and calls for toughened punishment for the offenders.
Given the organized nature and immense damage that voice phishing crimes bring, the commission will also seek to amend the scope of recommended sentencing for organized crimes and toughen the punishment for crimes involving bank accounts under borrowed names.
New sentencing guidelines will also be proposed for insurance fraud, the commission said, adding that a total of 6,209 insurance fraud cases, the largest among crimes without sentencing guidelines, were referred to court for trial between 2018 and 2022.
“The recommended sentencing guidelines on fraud crimes have not been revised since they were enacted and came into effect in 2011, so there is a need to reflect the changes in crime patterns based on societal and economic changes, and the public perception,” the commission said. “There is high demand for toughened punishment for organized crimes, including voice phishing and home rental scams.”
The details of the guidelines will be decided between August-September before being finalized after due process in March next year.
(Yonhap)
