KB Financial Group said on Tuesday it will launch a public prevention campaign with the Korean National Police Agency to protect people’s assets from voice phishing and new scam crimes that spike around the Lunar New Year holiday.

To prevent voice phishing and new scam crimes and block harm in advance, KB Financial will air campaign videos on in-branch TVs and digital displays at about 840 KB Kookmin Bank and KB Securities outlets nationwide, as well as on major affiliates’ social media channels.

The prevention video, produced by the Korean National Police Agency’s joint response team for telecommunications-based financial fraud, explains in plain terms key methods used in so-called new scam crimes such as investment chat room fraud, romance scams and “team mission” side-job scams. It focuses on a core message: if people receive suspicious contact, they should end the call immediately.

KB Financial has continued proactive responses, including building a financial fraud prevention system and requiring additional verification steps or restricting transactions when unusual signs are detected during financial dealings.

KB Kookmin Bank, a key affiliate, is strengthening its capabilities to detect suspected financial fraud transactions early and minimise damage by using an artificial intelligence-based anomalous transaction detection system.

The Korean National Police Agency stressed that extra caution is needed because various cyber scams that exploit the holiday atmosphere could occur intensively around the Lunar New Year holiday period. It explained that people should not click or respond to internet addresses or phone numbers from unclear sources, and should 반드시 recheck the facts if asked for personal information, financial information or money.

A KB Financial official said the group joined the police agency’s promotion of the voice phishing and new scam prevention campaign to contribute to creating a safe environment where people can use financial services with peace of mind, with the protection of financial consumers as its top value. The official said KB Financial will continue to expand cooperation with the police agency so it can close blind spots in financial fraud and provide practical consumer protection through public promotion of rules of conduct that quickly reflect new crime techniques and real prevention cases.