Alert: scam calls impersonating Korea Immigration target foreign residents
The Korea Immigration Service (Ministry of Justice) warns of voice-phishing calls impersonating the agency, using international numbers to threaten foreigners and extract information or money. How to spot and handle them.
⚠ Who this affects: who should pay attention
- International students (D-2/D-4) and newcomers to Korea
- Anyone receiving calls/messages from international numbers claiming to be immigration
- Anyone asked to pay money or share their 외국인등록번호 by phone
The Korea Immigration Service (법무부 출입국·외국인정책본부) warns of voice-phishing calls that impersonate the immigration agency to defraud foreign residents.
Warning signs: scammers typically call from international phone numbers. The Immigration Service never contacts people via international numbers and never notifies travel-ban status by message.
How it works: the caller claims there is a problem with your residence record or that it is illegal, threatens arrest to create pressure, then asks for personal information (passport copy, your 외국인등록번호), money transfers, or to install an unknown app.
The main targets are international students and newcomers unfamiliar with official procedures.
What to do: hang up; do not share personal or banking details; do not install any app on request. Verify anything about your visa directly on HiKorea or by calling the official 1345 helpline (multilingual, free). If you already transferred money or installed an app, change your bank password and report to police at 112.
🏛 Official sources
- 법무부 출입국·외국인정책본부 ↗ — official voice-phishing alert
- HiKorea ↗ — official immigration services portal
- 1345 helpline ↗ — multilingual immigration helpline, free
Prepare your visa documents safely with Autofill
Open →KIH reports this for reference and does not replace personal legal advice.