A group that based itself in Cambodia and extorted several hundred million won through so-called "romance scams" was sentenced to prison terms.
The Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 11 (Presiding Judge Kang Min-ho) on the 17th sentenced a person surnamed Seo, 32, who was indicted on charges including membership in a criminal organization, to six years in prison and ordered a forfeiture of 70 million won.
Another member indicted on charges including membership in a criminal organization, a person surnamed Kim, 23, was sentenced to four years in prison and a forfeiture of 2.8 million won; a person surnamed Han, 27, to three years and six months in prison and a forfeiture of 3.5 million won; a person surnamed Kim, 28, to three years and six months in prison and a forfeiture of 7.01 million won; and another member, a person surnamed Kim, 26, to three years in prison and a forfeiture of 21.33 million won.
Illegal revenue is, in principle, confiscated. If confiscation is impossible because the revenue has been disposed of, it is collected through forfeiture.
The group was brought to trial on charges of working at an organization called the "Hanya call center," run by a Chinese foreign ringleader nicknamed "Ma Dong-seok," and carrying out romance scams to steal victims' money.
The court said, "When a criminal group sets up a base abroad and operates, the crimes become specialized and sophisticated, making detection difficult and the harm severe," adding, "The defendant joined a criminal organization in Cambodia and directly deceived victims as a call center agent."
Earlier, in Aug., the court sentenced another member, a person surnamed Shin, to four years in prison and a person surnamed Na to one year and six months, and in Jan., sentenced a member, a person surnamed Kim, to three years and six months.
The Eastern District Prosecutors' Office government joint investigation team on voice phishing crimes (the joint investigation team), which arrested them, additionally indicted and detained a total of 11 people from Aug. 5 to Oct. 13, including eight Hanya call center members and three account providers.
They used nicknames such as "Zhuge Liang," "Non Gae," and "Kim Yu-sin" while running the romance scams.