Illegal Debt Collectors' Phone Numbers and KakaoTalk Blocked from 22nd

[Financial News] From the 22nd, all numbers used in illegal debt collection and illegal lending activities will be blocked. KakaoTalk and Line account blocking will also be implemented.
Phone numbers used for illegal debt collection activities such as insulting, threatening debtors, or repeatedly contacting them at night will be suspended.
The Financial Supervisory Service announced on the 18th that the 'Illegal Private Finance Phone Number Suspension System' will be expanded with the enforcement of the revised Lending Business Act on the 22nd.
Previously, if a phone number used in unregistered illegal lending advertisements was reported to the financial authorities, that number was suspended. Now, even registered lenders can have their numbers suspended if they engage in illegal debt collection such as insults, threats, or night contacts.
If the debt fact is disclosed to third parties such as family or acquaintances, or if a loan contract exceeding the legal maximum interest rate (20%) is made, the number can be reported for suspension. If you suffer from such illegal collection via phone or text, you can report the number to the Financial Supervisory Service website, the Korea Inclusive Finance Agency, local governments, the prosecution, or the police, and the number will be suspended.
The anonymity of the reporter is guaranteed, so reports can be made without fear of secondary harm.
KakaoTalk, Line, and other social media (SNS) accounts can also be reported and suspended.
The Financial Supervisory Service has been operating a function to report and block KakaoTalk accounts used in illegal lending activities in cooperation with Kakao since last month, and the same function will be operated on Line from the 22nd.
The Financial Supervisory Service expects that the 'Illegal Lending Activity Phone Number Suspension System' will contribute to fundamentally blocking financial crime tools that harm people's livelihoods and protecting the vulnerable from illegal private financiers.  


sjmary@fnnews.com Seo Hye-jin Reporter