If a caller in South Korea demands a transfer or cash withdrawal, pause before following another instruction. Even when they claim to represent the police, prosecutors or a bank, do not call back on a number they supply. End the conversation and contact the institution through a number you find independently. This guide distinguishes counseling from urgent reporting, using the Korean National Police Agency's September 29, 2026 announcement and its earlier victim-response guidance. It cannot determine whether a particular call is criminal.

Match the action to what has happened

  • No transfer or app installation yet: Stop acting on the caller's instructions and hang up. Verify the institution independently. If you need to discuss a suspected scam, you can call 1394 for the police-led center's counseling line.
  • Money has already been sent: Call the police on 112 and immediately contact the sending bank through its independently verified official number to ask about stopping the transfer or freezing a recipient account. Do not postpone these calls to assemble perfect documentation.
  • You are being coerced, isolated or physically threatened: Call 112, explain the danger and your location.

1394 is a counseling-only representative number for the integrated anti-telecom-financial-fraud response center. 112 is the police incident-reporting number. The September 29 press release marks one year of the integrated unit's operation; it says the 1394 line was introduced in February 2026, not on the anniversary. The police say the response center operates around the clock, every day of the year. A call to 1394 does not, by itself, guarantee dispatch, a payment freeze or reimbursement.

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Verify through a channel the caller did not choose

Do not treat a caller-provided callback number, a link in their message or an instruction to install an app as independent verification. The police announcement describes a case of public-official impersonation, victim isolation and induced cash withdrawal. Hearing official-sounding names does not make the call genuine. Use the bank app, card or official website you already trust, or an independently located government contact route.

If you installed an app at the caller's request or suspect the device is compromised, do not rely solely on what that phone displays to declare it safe. If possible, explain the situation to the police and your bank using a separate trusted phone and follow their case-specific instructions. A generic security-app download or factory reset is not a universal remedy.

After a transfer: contact first, preserve evidence too

  1. Report and ask about immediate measures. Give 112 and your bank the time, amount and receiving account. Korea's integrated police-reporting route can coordinate with other agencies, but a freeze or recovery depends on the specific transaction and is not guaranteed.
  2. Preserve evidence. Keep call history, transfer receipts, messages and the account and names the caller used. Do not let evidence collection delay step one.
  3. Follow up separately. Confirm the police report and the bank's payment-freeze and victim-relief process. Ask them which account, identity or device protections fit your case and whether recovery is possible.

AI-generated explanatory still life representing preserved notes and a separate contact route

The decision in one sentence: pause and verify independently when suspicious, using 1394 for counseling where useful; after a transfer or immediate danger, report on 112 and contact the bank without delay. A decline in aggregate fraud losses reported by police does not prove that the call in front of you is safe. Their announcement also discusses scams that approach people through social platforms.

For a shorter Korean call-time checklist, see the separate Life Mokcha Naver article.

About the Author

Life Mokcha's editorial team (‘Mokchajigi’) separates the police's published information from practical reader actions. This guide is not individualized legal or financial advice.

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