The Korea government's "Korea task force," set up in Cambodia to prevent and crack down on various fraud crimes based overseas, has produced its first results. Authorities arrested a crime ring that had been running a "no-show scam" in Cambodia.
The National Intelligence Service said on the 27th that, working with Cambodian authorities, it raided the base of a no-show scam crime ring in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on the 13th and arrested 17 Korean members.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said this bust was the first outcome of the "Korea task force," which launched on the 10th under an agreement reached at the Korea-Cambodia summit on the 27th in Malaysia.
According to the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the ring was made up of Koreans and foreigners and is believed to have taken about 3.5 billion won from more than 15,000 small business owners in Korea since May this year.
Their method is known as the "no-show–proxy purchase" scheme. Impersonating government and public agencies, they proposed group dinners or large-scale service contracts to small business owners, then used that as a Decoy to demand proxy purchases of expensive goods from other front companies.
After building trust by reserving bulk orders, they sent forged official documents and business cards, and induced transfers by asking victims to purchase high-priced goods in advance from front companies created by the crime ring and to "have them prepared in advance." After the victim deposited the expense into the front company's account, the ring cut contact and disappeared.
Each time the method became known through news reports or announcements by investigative agencies, they switched the impersonated institution to a "military unit" or changed the items to waste disposal or gas mask purchases, inflicting continued damage on small business owners.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) detected signs in July this year that a no-show scam ring was active around an abandoned casino area in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and began tracking it. It then obtained leads, including the group's bases in Cambodia and the identities and digital records of Korean members, provided related information to the Government Joint Investigation Team on Voice Phishing, and conducted a joint probe.
The Government Joint Investigation Team on Voice Phishing launched an investigation immediately upon receiving intelligence from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and completed legal procedures, including an Interpol notice. The NIS said that, through the Korea task force, the investigation details were shared with the Cambodian side in real time, and the Cambodian police cooperated amicably, enabling a swift crackdown.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS), police, and the Government Joint Investigation Team on Voice Phishing said, "This is the result of coordination and organic cooperation among relevant agencies under the leadership of the presidential office to respond to transnational crime," adding, "We will continue to work closely with the Cambodian police, with the 'Korea task force' at the center, to pursue and root out transnational crime rings targeting our people to the end."