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Science ministry to join forces with Google to tackle voice phishing

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- The science ministry on Thursday inked an agreement with U.S. tech giant Google LLC to make joint efforts to root out voice phishing scams through advanced detection services.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Android developer signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Seoul, announcing the launch of the Enhanced Fraud Protection (EFP), a security solution, in South Korea.

Government data earlier showed that the combined financial damage caused by such crimes reached 640 billion won (US$460 million) in the first half of 2025, nearly double from the same period last year.

The EFP program will automatically cut off applications that request access to sensitive information, including attempts made through social media messages, according to the ministry.

The solution can be applied to smartphone models released after 2015 without additional installation.

"Through the launch of EFP, around 35 million Android smartphone users in South Korea can be protected," the ministry said.

Google first launched the EFP in Singapore in February 2024, later introducing the program in other countries, including India and Brazil.

The science ministry has been collaborating with Google for its domestic launch since April.

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