The National Intelligence Service and police uncovered a Cambodian scam crime ring and rescued victims of a job scam, but it was confirmed that even recently some people in their 20s and 30s have been lured by promises of high income and flown to Southeast Asia after being deceived by overseas crime groups.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) on the 20th said in a press release, "Despite the recent consecutive arrests of Cambodian scam crime rings, there are still cases in which young people are deceived by high-income job offers and go to Southeast Asia," urging particular caution.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) disclosed the case of a 25-year-old, identified as A, whose report of "my son has been confined in Cambodia" was received on the 17th of last month, and partially revealed the circumstances of the incident and the family's desperate feelings to prevent young people from becoming involved in crime.
A said an unidentified person, B, met on Telegram offered a job, saying, "If you work for two weeks at a hotel in Vietnam, we will give you $2,000 in cash," and A left for Ho Chi Minh City. But immediately after arrival, the crime group took A's passport and cell phone, and A was then sold to multiple crime organizations and confined while moving between Vietnam and Cambodia. The group threatened A, saying, "If it becomes known that you crossed the border illegally, the local police will arrest you."
In the end, A was moved from Ho Chi Minh City through Poipet and Phnom Penh in Cambodia to a scam compound in Mondulkiri Province, a jungle area. The Mondulkiri scam compound is a jungle area near the Vietnam border with no homes or stores, making escape impossible without outside help. The organization coerced A, saying, "If you work well for six months, we will send you home."
Regarding the situation at the time, A said, "In the scam compound, I witnessed one of the Koreans being beaten with a stun gun and a club for having low performance," adding that the psychological pressure was very high.
After the Korea-Cambodia joint task force was established on Nov. 10 last year, A was rescued from a local scam compound as location tracking proceeded based on a report call from A's mother in Korea. A was one of three Koreans rescued at that time.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said, "Despite media reports on Southeast Asia job scams and confinement, assault and torture, cases continue in which young people are tempted by easy money and leave for Southeast Asia," urging caution. It added, "Going forward, in cooperation with the 'Transnational Crime Special Response TF,' we will make every effort to prevent scam crimes and protect victims, and we will track down and root out crime organizations targeting Koreans to the end."