Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission urges caution to users
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Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission logo. BCC, ‘The Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission emphasized increased cases of mobile phone fraud, such as identity theft, and urged user caution.’,
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, ‘The BCC announced on the 14th that after analyzing 871 dispute resolution cases submitted to the Telecommunications Dispute Resolution Committee (☎142-246) until July this year, the number of dispute resolution applications increased by 31.1% from 299 cases in the first half of last year to 392 cases.’,
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, ‘The analysis revealed 191 cases of falsely informing customers about device prices to induce mobile phone activation, 91 cases of unauthorized activation of telecommunication services due to identity theft, 34 cases of smishing scams, 26 cases of double billing due to inadequate cancellation of Internet services, and 50 cases of unfair contracts for wired services.’,
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, ‘In particular, identity theft increased by 68.5%, smishing scams by 750%, and unfair contracts for wired services by 56.3% during the same period.’,
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, ‘Furthermore, the BCC introduced types of frequent telecommunications disputes.’,
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, ‘In cases where device prices were falsely reported to induce the activation of mobile phones, many cases involved applying discounts unrelated to devices, such as contract discounts and affiliate card discounts, to the device price, making it appear very cheap.’,
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, ‘There were also cases where customers were falsely informed that they would receive device support if they met specific conditions, such as using high-priced rate plans, paying device fees in a lump sum, or replacing devices after a certain period, but in reality, excessive device fees were charged, the BCC stated.’,
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, ‘Cases were also found where personal information provided by users during remote part-time job contracts or loan consultations was stolen and used to illegally activate telecommunication services. There were instances where customer information obtained from mobile phone stores was used to arbitrarily add service lines, resulting in billing for unused services.’,
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, ‘Scams were also seen where criminals impersonated family members, acquaintances, or public institutions to send messages such as requests for mobile phone repairs or insurance, confirmation of invitations or obituary notices, health checkup notifications, traffic violation fine inquiries, leading users to access internet addresses in text messages or install malicious apps, resulting in data and financial information theft.’,
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, ‘Other cases included double billing due to inadequate cancellation of previous service providers when changing Internet services, and cases where wired services were activated by falsely or inadequately informing contract conditions.’,
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, ‘The BCC advised that to prevent mobile phone sales fraud, use official carrier contracts when signing agreements and carefully check device pricing information on the contract.’,
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, ‘It also emphasized that additional agreements with stores should be documented in official contracts or recorded during device activation procedures to gather evidence.’,
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, ‘In cases of identity theft, the BCC recommended immediate reporting to the police and reporting to the telecommunications company branch where theft reports can be received.’,
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, ‘To prevent smishing scams, users are advised not to click on suspicious internet addresses and apps and, in case of damage, to report to the police and apply for ‘Batch Payment Suspension for Your Account’ immediately.’,
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, ‘Additionally, the BCC urged telecommunication companies and businesses involved in disputes to actively prevent disputes and remedy damages.’,
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, ‘Acting Chairman Kim Tae-gyu of the BCC stated, “I will recommend related businesses to come up with their own improvement plans for frequent dispute cases, review violations of prohibited acts under the Telecommunications Business Act, and continue efforts to protect users.”‘,
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