'Beware of text message scams exploiting TMON, WEMAKEPRICE INC. refund crisis'

2024.08.03. The Fair Economy — The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) urged users to be cautious after detecting phishing SMS campaigns exploiting recent refund issues at e-commerce platforms such as TMON and WEMAKEPRICE INC., warning that these could lead to the theft of personal and financial information.

For example, clicking the URL inside a smishing text reading "[WEMAKEPRICE INC.] An immediate refund will be issued through mediation by the Korea Consumer Agency" leads to a phishing page impersonating the Korea Consumer Agency, which then prompts the victim to download a malicious app.

A smishing text reading "[TMON] The item you ordered has been shipped" leads, when the URL inside it is clicked, to a Naver phishing page that asks the victim to enter their Naver account information.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and KISA said, "If you suspect smishing, such as a text message containing a link from an unclear source, refrain from accessing it and check whether the suspicious site address matches the address of the legitimate site to prevent damage." They added, "Smishing texts can also be reported through the 'Report as Spam' function displayed at the top of the text message screen on smartphones, the 'Boho Nara' channel on KakaoTalk, or by calling the report hotline (118)."