[Pick] The smishing text sent by the local government… sent to 60,000 people

Enlarging an image

A smishing text message was sent to tens of thousands of residents through the text message sending system operated by the local government, and the relevant agency started an investigation.

The city of Iksan, Jeollabuk-do announced yesterday (21st) that about 60,000 smishing messages were sent through the Iksan city text sending system around 8:40 pm on the 17th.

The message was sent to an unspecified number of residents to the number of the Myeon office in Iksan, and some were also sent to other regions.

The message was a smishing text message that caused damage to micropayments or leakage of personal information because an unsecured Internet link was attached to the message along with the phrase 'Traffic violation notice has been sent'.

Although smishing and messenger phishing are on the rise, it is extremely rare that these messages are sent through systems directly managed by public institutions.

So far, there have been no cases of damage in the Iksan area. 

However, as the text spread to other areas, the exact extent of the damage has not been confirmed. 

An official from Iksan City said, "I think the text message was sent through some of the user accounts managed by each department."

To avoid smishing, do not click on Internet addresses from unknown sources, and do not install unverified apps.

If you receive a suspicious smishing text message or suspect a malicious app infection, you can contact the 118 Help Center without an area code to receive free consultations 24 hours a day.