Work Text:
They were supposed to go out that evening for Hyun’s birthday dinner. Wumuti already booked a reservation at a fancy seafood restaurant. Everyone was just resting after taking pictures (a lot of pictures) with the birthday princess. It was around an hour before they had to leave that Haru received a text.
Account access detected. Do not share this code with anyone. This code will expire in 15 minutes. Verification code (OTP) [6 digit code]
What? Haru was always logged into this account. This was his primary quick payment account he used for everything.
Then there was another text. And then another. This was sent by the official bot of the app she used, with the blue checkmark and everything. This must be the real bot.
Then, a different text from the customer service.
[Image attached]
Warning! We have been informed that someone has been trying to access your account attempting to use the money and credit loaning feature.
If SAMSUNG GALAXY A15 from BUSAN is not your phone, please respond to this message to quickly conduct action to your account privacy.
That was definitely not Haru’s phone. And Haru has never lived in Busan. The image showed an official looking digital letter from the company and it stated mostly the same thing. At the bottom, there was a stamp and sign from the national financial services authority as well as the many trusted money loaning apps used in Korea. So Haru responded.
No. That isn’t my phone.
Alright Sir/Ma’am, if that is not your phone, please wait a moment for customer service to contact you.
Not long after, the same number called Haru.
“Hello, is this Mr. Kato Haru? We have been informed that there were many attempts to access your account. Can you confirm if that was you, Sir?”
“No, it’s not me.”
“Alright Mr. Kato Haru, do you have other devices or share your account with any family members or friends?”
“No, no, I do not.”
“Alright, do you know if this Samsung Galaxy A15 is owned by anyone you were related to or was that a previous phone you owned?”
“No Sir, I don’t know whose phone that is.”
Haru was starting to get worried. Besides being referred to as “Mr.” the whole time which gave them a weird ick, the person on the other line suggested that Haru take quick action to secure their account before the hacker makes a move.
He was told to empty out the limit of the money loaning feature and then create a two-step verification for his account. She didn’t know how to do that, but the person guided her step by step. However, they still couldn’t draw any money from the app.
“Oh, it looks like the hacker must’ve already tried to make a transaction Mr. Kato Haru. However, there is still time to act before the transaction gets verified by the system. Maybe we can try another way.”
“Is there any chance you can block the transaction first?”
“I’m sorry Mr. Kato Haru, but the hacker is currently using Google Play and an instant debit card to loan the money from your account. Those are completely outside of our system and the only thing we can do right now is to help you drain any money from your loaning feature so the hacker’s transaction won’t be successful. Don’t worry Mr. Kato Haru, it will not cost you anything as this is a protective measure from the app itself.”
“Um… alright, so what should I do now?”
The person directed Haru to one of the three money loaning apps listed below the official letter (Haru has seen many many ads for all three of them) and asked Haru to download one. He explained that since the in-app money loaning feature didn’t allow Haru to draw any money, Haru would have to use the other money loaning apps that have partnerships with the main app Haru’s on.
Each app required Haru to take a picture of their ID, as well as fill in a bunch of info for their personal info, work, emergency contact, etc. Then, Haru would have to take a screenshot of the limit she could borrow so the person could send an approval to their manager. The first app only allowed them to draw a small amount of money. The second didn’t allow them to draw anything. And the third was the same as the former. Every second that passed deepened Haru’s anxiety. She was directed to download one last app then screenshot the limit again after filling out her personal info before the guy ended their conversation.
“Haru? Haru, what happened baby?” Wumuti looked over from the bathroom mirror. They were getting ready to… oh shit- Hyun-hyung’s birthday dinner.
“Sorry Muti-hyung I really really need to fix this one thing, please wait for me.”
Wumuti walked closer as she sensed something was off.
“Who were you calling just now?”
“It’s customer service. My quick payment account is getting hacked and I need to be quick so they can’t drain any loans and put the burden on me.”
Haru continued to be busy on their phone while everyone else got ready. When Wumuti told everyone the taxi was waiting, Haru asked Wumuti for help to turn on their hotspot since Haru didn’t have much data left.
They continued to be busy in the car trying to verify their ID. Hyun and Rui asked them a few questions and Haru tried to explain, but was panicking on the inside and he thought it showed.
“Haru, what if I try talking to them?” Wumuti offered.
Haru hadn’t finished the verification process but thought that was a good idea. They called customer service again, made sure it was the same person, and handed the phone to Wumuti. She asked about the details of their conversation and the person on the other side really did explain everything. Not once did they ask for the verification code or any personal information. Haru could only hope this last app works.
After the taxi dropped them off, Wumuti told Hyun and Rui to sit at their reserved table first while still being on the phone with customer service. He was getting a little furious as the procedure to protect Haru’s account was incredibly intricate and there seemed to be little to no effort in stopping the hacking itself. Haru only stood close by as she listened to what the other person had to say, holding her arms nervously as every second went by. He felt tears welling up but stopped himself. They need to stay calm. Crying won’t solve the problem.
In the end, the guy hung up on them which left Wumuti incredibly frustrated for Haru. But the only thing they could do was follow his instructions, so Haru continued to sign up on the app.
It was a little too loud in the restaurant so Haru excused herself to the bathroom. They already sent the required screenshot but received no response. She called again and again but was also left unanswered. Haru held back on confirming the loan even though they were getting desperate. Something was telling them to just wait for a response.
The food was already served when Haru came back to the table. The mood was terrible, at least it was in Haru’s head, and they felt really bad for ruining Hyun’s birthday dinner. Hyun assured them that this wasn’t their fault and they would find a solution together. Wumuti looked online to see if they could contact the customer service in-app while Rui put some food on Haru’s plate.
“Have a bite Haru, it’s getting late and you haven’t had anything other than cake this afternoon,” Rui said as they patted Haru’s back.
The seafood tasted good, but Haru couldn’t really enjoy it since his mind was somewhere else.
“Alright Haru, I got it. You need to go to your profile and scroll all the way down for the help center. Then click the ‘make a call’ button for in-app customer service,” Wumuti read off the article she saw.
Haru did what they were told. This time, someone different answered and Haru excused himself outside to explain everything that happened.
“What should I do now?”
“I’m sorry to hear about your experience sonnim, but I’m afraid the person you have been calling is a scammer.”
“W- what-”
Haru was a little suspicious of the letter at first then at the customer service who directly contacted her, but thought it was the real deal since they just wanted to help Haru not get hacked.
“Customer service will never contact you through any messaging apps, sonnim. Can you please tell me how much money you have withdrawn from your account?”
Thankfully none of the loans Haru withdrew were successful. The person on the other line explained that Haru must ignore all messages from any unknown number and start renewing their account pin as well as their password. Before ending the call, Haru was asked to list the scammer’s phone number and also provide screenshots of their conversation so customer service can make a report.
Back at the table, Haru told everyone that they have been scammed. Wumuti was shocked, surprised at how she herself couldn’t recognize that it was a scam. Rui and Hyun both comfort Haru, trying to center them by going step by step. Haru already put all their ID information in those apps, it’d be dangerous if the scammer gets a hold of it.
“Haru, it’s okay. You have to focus on deleting your accounts first. One app at a time,” Wumuti sat closer to Haru.
Most apps needed a few days or even a few months before Haru could close their account, and Haru would have to make some calls to start blocking all account activity, but she’s grateful she has her hyungs who are more than happy to help.
Overall, Haru learned one important thing, never answer unknown numbers ever again.