A Cambodia-based phishing ring that approached victims while pretending to be Japanese women and carried out romance scam fraud was caught by police.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Financial Crimes Investigation Unit said on the 25th that it had referred 49 members of two phishing rings to prosecutors on charges of joining and participating in a criminal organization and violating the Act on the Refund of Telecommunications Fraud Damage. Of them, 37 were sent in custody. They are accused of stealing about 10.5 billion won from a total of 68 people from Mar. last year to Jan. this year.
Their methods varied. Organization A approached victims while pretending to be Japanese women, chatted online for about three months, and developed the relationship into a romantic one.
They then lured victims to invest in fake shopping mall and virtual asset sites, saying even small investments could yield profits. When the victim put in money, they shut down the site or blocked withdrawals. This is the so-called "pig butchering" method.
After some members of Organization A were arrested, they switched to a "no-show" scam. They asked various goods suppliers for proxy purchases, then connected them with an impersonated company, took only the purchase price, and disappeared. Members used forged business cards and business registration certificates to deceive victims.
Organization B impersonated public institutions such as the Financial Supervisory Service or the prosecution. A Chinese ringleader abused Korean personal information obtained to call victims and make them think their cards had been misdelivered. They then directed victims to a specific phone number, saying it was a customer center, and had them install a remote-control program and a malicious app.
They then said, "It seems your identity was stolen," and urged victims to report to the FSS and the prosecution, but because of the malicious app, even calls to the actual FSS and the prosecution were routed to the ring members. The members posed as investigators and demanded cash and gold bars. Intimidated by threats such as "custodial investigation," the victims did as they were told.
Police became aware of the case in Oct. last year when local police in Cambodia arrested 14 Korean suspects. Through requests for local crackdowns and rescue reports of ring members filed with the Embassy of Korea in Cambodia, additional members were arrested.
Of the 60 people involved in Organization A, 41 were arrested. The Chinese ringleader of Organization A arrested locally is under discussion for extradition. In Organization B, 8 of the 54 participants have been caught, and the investigation is ongoing.