A couple working as taxi drivers was commended for helping police catch a suspect in a voice phishing scam after the two grew suspicious of a passenger who rode in each of their cabs.
Seoul Gangdong Police Station said Tuesday that they have presented the couple with a reward and certificate of appreciation for their help in the recent arrest.
The suspect, a man in his 60s, rode the taxi driven by the husband and got off at a road in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, at around 2 p.m. on March 19. Five minutes later, the driver saw his wife's taxi picking up someone who appeared to be the same man and notified her of this fact via phone.
The wife confirmed in the conversation that it was indeed the same passenger and noticed his suspicious behavior, such as abruptly changing the destination from a place in Gyeonggi Province to Gangdong-gu, eastern Seoul. She told her husband to call the police, which he did, notifying the police officers of the passenger's destination while accompanying them there.
Officers caught the suspect in Gangdong-gu and found that he had just picked up 380 million won ($266,000) in checks from a victim. The suspect and suspected members of the criminal ring tricked the victim by pretending to be agents of a government branch.
Kim Byeong-ju, chief of the Gangdong Police Station, offered his gratitude to the couple and vowed to crack down on voice phishing scams while actively awarding citizens who aid arrests.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
