Every data-breach headline brings a wave of unease, but it's rarely clear what to actually do. One of the most common harms is someone opening a phone line in your name — you get the bill, and that number can be used for loans or scams.
The good news: in five minutes you can list every line registered to your name in Korea and block future ones. All of it is free.
Step 1 — Check the lines in your name
Go to the identity-theft prevention service M-Safer (msafer.or.kr), verify your identity, and you'll see every telecom service registered under your name at once.
- Coverage — mobile, MVNO, landline, internet phone, broadband, wireless internet.
- Verification — joint certificate, PASS, Kakao or Naver — whichever is easiest.
- You can also check via carrier apps (T world, My KT, My LG U+) or the KAIT center at 1500.
If you see a line you don't recognize, call that carrier immediately to cancel and report it. Left alone, charges and secondary damage keep piling up.
Step 2 — Lock future sign-ups
Don't stop at checking — set the "subscription restriction" too. Once active, no one else can open a new line in your name. It takes minutes on M-Safer, and you simply lift it when you genuinely need to open a line.
Step 3 — Get alerted the moment something opens
This notifies you by text and email whenever a new subscription or transfer happens in your name. Text notification is provided by law; email alerts are opt-in. The faster the alert, the earlier you can stop the damage.
Worth doing at the same time
- "Find My Leaked Info" (Personal Information Protection Commission) — check whether your IDs and passwords leaked, then change them.
- Check the financial side — identity theft can spread to loans and cards. As in the credit score guide, reviewing your own financial records periodically is a good habit.
- If you lose your ID card — report it and run the check plus the subscription lock.
Phone scams — remember this much
- Agencies never ask you by phone or text to move money or install an app.
- Don't tap links in texts (delivery, fines, funeral notices) — verify in the official app or website.
- If money has moved, call 112 or your bank immediately to request a payment freeze.
FAQ
Does checking cost anything?
No. Checking, restriction and alerts are all free public services.
Will the lock make my own sign-up difficult?
You just lift it yourself and proceed — a small inconvenience that prevents a large loss.
How often should I check?
After any major breach in the news, plus once or twice a year, is plenty.
Identity theft is far easier to prevent than to undo. Spend five minutes today: check your lines, then lock new sign-ups.
This is general information; procedures and agency details can change. Confirm with M-Safer (msafer.or.kr) and your carrier.
