AhnLab has detected phishing text messages masquerading as “Presidential Election Surveys” and advised caution today (the 21st).
According to AhnLab, the attackers sent messages claiming to conduct election-related surveys by impersonating a domestic public enterprise.
The text included the phrase “participate and you’ll receive prizes” along with a URL, enticing users to click on it.
Clicking the link redirected users to a page designed like an actual survey with questions such as “voting plans” and “criteria for candidate selection.”
After the survey, users were asked to enter personal information like their name and contact details under the pretense of prize distribution.
Notably, there was no “consent to collect and use personal information” process during this.
To prevent phishing text message damage, AhnLab stressed the importance of not clicking URLs from unknown senders and blocking international text messages if they are unnecessary for work or daily life.
AhnLab stated, “This phishing text is a typical social engineering attack that exploits socially sensitive issues and promises of prizes to manipulate user psychology.” They warned that phishing attempts using related keywords are expected to continue until next month’s election, underscoring the need for ongoing vigilance.
(Photo provided by AhnLab, Yonhap News)