By Lee Eung-tae

The other day I got a message ostensibly from a popular parcel delivery company. I had mail and I should click on the site to confirm my address. As we moved here just a week ago, I automatically clicked it to make sure that my new address was stated correctly.

Too late, I got suspicious: I was the victim of a scam to steal my identity and money. I cursed my thoughtlessness. I felt helpless. Two days later, the bank called. They had an application for an automatic withdrawal from LG Electronics. But if I hadn't applied for it, I should call the number they specified. I thought that I needed to call as I had thoughtlessly clicked on the site the other day. This automatic withdrawal application must be fraudulent. Alas, I didn't know that this telephone number was part of the scam. As soon as I called the number, a kind female voice replied and told me to enter my identification number. I followed her instructions and entered my complete identification number. Then she requested my banking password. Suddenly my wife and I realized that this too must be part of the scam. I hung up silently and instantly.

We were mad with panic. I had been on the brink of being robbed of all the money in my bank account by this devious phishing scam. I immediately checked my bank account and we were relieved to see the money still there. I was so anxious that I tried to transfer all my money to my wife's account, but this wasn't possible. The scammers had temporarily frozen my bank account using my identification number. We were helpless. We couldn't sleep at all and the next morning contacted the "counter-phishing" center.

After hearing my story, the operator gave me five specific measures, such as installing a vaccine program, an anti-virus app and other safeguards. We rushed to the bank after deleting my financial authentication certificate. Even after taking all those measures, we were still convinced that the crooks could steal the money from my compromised bank account, so I transferred almost everything to my wife's account.

I have decided to sacrifice financial convenience in order to protect my assets. I shall no longer transfer money through my mobile phone bank account. Whenever I need to complete a transaction, I will visit a bank and complete it through an ATM or a bank teller. I can no longer enjoy the convenience of buying a product and paying for it immediately by phone.

I felt so pathetic when I thought about the folly of my actions. But on second thought, I wondered what was actually wrong with what I'd done. I just clicked a site that notified my address and simply dialed a phone number which would prevent any automatic withdrawals. I thought these were just the normal actions of ordinary people. Doing this, I was almost robbed of my life savings in a split second by just a few words and the click of a mouse. It may only take a brief moment for a catastrophe to ruin your life.

I suddenly grew afraid of being exposed to the scams of numerous swindlers. I would never have believed myself such a silly person as to be deceived by such deception. Now I realize that however cautious and sensible we are, we can be trapped by these increasingly sophisticated financial crimes. So, I have decided to revert to the old and inconvenient ways of performing financial transactions and to abruptly ignore any strange telephone calls. This is so unfortunate!