Telephone-based financial scams dropped from 1,200 in March to 284 in October, down 72 percent, as a result of intensive control, police said Monday.

A total of 5,811 violators have been arrested in 4,174 cases from July 23 to Oct. 30, the National Police Agency said.

Over 600 were physically detained.

In an earlier crackdown, which took place in the first half of the year, the police found nearly 3,000 cases, detaining 512 people.

Based on analysis from March that 76.7 percent of victims were women, and over a majority were in their 20s and 30s, police actively promoted the prevention of such crimes on Social Network Services and Internet communities frequented by young female users.

Also by collaborating with foreign authorities, the police arrested 63 people from other countries, including China, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, where call centers making random calls to swindle money are often located, according to the police.

"By arresting those who are preparing to commit crimes in a pre-emptive measure, the number of people arrested has increased while that of the victims has decreased," an NPA official said.

A total of 35,859 voice phishing cases occurred in 2014, compared with 22,351 recorded in 2012, according to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. (Yonhap)