Cases of "voice phishing" scams increased significantly last year.

Voice phishing refers to the crime in which telephones are used to gain access to private personal and financial information from the public.

The Korea Information Security Agency said that voice phishing scams more than doubled to 7,255 last year from 2007.

In addition, there were some 300 reported cases of illegal viewing of personal financial information, and about 90 cases of privacy infringement by public organizations.

In contrast, thefts or violations of private information nearly halved to about 9,000 cases year-on-year from 2007.

The agency advised consumers to be cautious about voice phishing scams, noting that this type of scam is becoming more and more sophisticated.