A voice phishing crime ring based in Bangkok, Thailand, that stole tens of billions of won has been caught.
Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul said on the 19th that it arrested seven members of the ring on charges including joining and operating a criminal organization and violating the Act on the Refund of Telecommunications Fraud Victims, after they defrauded 38 victims of a total of 7.085 billion won, and that six of them were detained.
According to police, from June to October last year they impersonated the Financial Supervisory Service and prosecutors to induce withdrawals and took victims' money.
They said things like, "An account opened in your name as a shell bankbook has been used for fraud. Apply for asset protection," and "This is a top-security case but we will proceed with a summary investigation. Gather all assets you hold into one place, withdraw them as cashier's checks, and hand them to an employee, and we will return them after inspection," and was found to have deceived the victims.
Police received criminal intelligence in August last year and launched an investigation. They then confirmed that A, a person in their 40s who was the call center Head of Team, had entered Korea, obtained an arrest warrant, and arrested the person at the check-in counter at Incheon Airport just before departing for Thailand around Oct. 9. Police later arrested six additional suspects who, under A's direction, worked as call center agents and others.
Police said they will continue to verify additional charges against the suspects and keep tracking accomplices and superiors.