FSS: "Beware of leading room scams using emergency martial law as a pretext for fund source investigations"

[Field News = Reporter Kim Dae-seong] Case #1: In September, Person A joined a Band after seeing an advertisement on Instagram offering free stock lectures and investment information.

In that Band, Person H from Company M recommended stocks to Person A and urged them to install Company M's stock trading app.

The fraudulent group allowed Person A to see profits from small-scale trades and subsequently proposed reinvestment. When Person A claimed to have no money, Person H lent them 50 million won and manipulated the app screen to make it appear as though Person A had earned 100 million won in profit.

Earlier this month, when Person A applied to withdraw the profits, the group demanded that the 50 million won loan be repaid first. They deceived Person A by claiming that due to the emergency martial law, they had to undergo a fund source investigation by the FSS, and therefore, an additional deposit equal to the original amount must be made for the fund source review.

Suspecting it might be a scam, Person A inquired with the FSS and realized the fraudulent activity.

On the 11th, the Financial Supervisory Service issued a consumer warning, stating that illegal leading room scams using the recent emergency martial law situation as a pretext for FSS fund source investigations have occurred.

The FSS urged, "The FSS does not investigate investors' fund sources on the grounds of martial law, so you must never comply even if a deposit is requested for a fund source review," adding, "Please be extra vigilant regarding the possibility of investment fraud exploiting recent political situations."

Institutional financial companies do not induce the installation of stock trading apps through group chat rooms, so consumers must be careful not to be deceived by illegal entities impersonating financial institutions.

The FSS emphasized that if illegal financial investment fraud is suspected, it is important to secure relevant evidence (recordings, text messages, etc.), such as investment recommendations or solicitations to install private stock trading apps, and report it to investigative agencies or the Financial Supervisory Service.