Customer personal information has been leaked from Giftiel, a mobile gift voucher service operated by an affiliate of Lotte Group.
Spoon Corp., which runs Giftiel, posted a notice on Oct. 22 saying it had confirmed that some customers' personal information was leaked through unauthorized external access, or hacking, according to retail industry sources on the 25th. The exposed data included names, mobile phone numbers, email addresses and refund account numbers.
Spoon Corp. is a subsidiary of Daehong Communications, an advertising agency under Lotte Group. It operates Giftiel, which issues and sells mobile vouchers for Lotte-affiliated brands.
Spoon said it blocked the attacking IP addresses and tightened system access controls after detecting the breach. The company said it also reported the incident to security agencies and relevant government authorities and asked law enforcement to open an investigation. It is strengthening database access monitoring and drawing up security measures to prevent a recurrence.
Spoon urged customers to be cautious about text messages, emails and phone calls from unidentified sources to guard against secondary damage from smishing and phishing. If customers suspect financial fraud involving the leaked account information, the company recommended checking through the Integrated Account Information Service or the Financial Supervisory Service's identity theft prevention service.
"We apologize for failing to keep your valuable information safe," Spoon said. "We take this matter seriously and are carrying out follow-up measures to prevent further damage and recurrence."