▲ File image related to the crime method
A ring that extorted 2.6 billion KRW from dozens of victims using fake paid dating advertisements based in Vietnam has been apprehended by the police.
The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced today (Nov. 3) that it has apprehended 15 members, including a ringleader in his 30s surnamed A, on charges of forming a criminal organization and fraud, and has formally arrested 7 of them, including A.
All of them are South Korean nationals, and they are accused of posting fake paid dating advertisements on social media between August 2024 and March of last year, extracting approximately 2.6 billion KRW from 34 men who contacted them under the guise of membership registration fees, verification fees, and server restoration fees.
According to the police investigation, they lured victims into signing up for fake websites by impersonating paid dating women or verification staff, and then demanded membership verification fees and other payments.
They deceived victims who had already sent money by claiming that a problem had occurred on the website server, thereby extorting additional funds for restoration.
It was revealed that they set up a residence in an officetel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and rented an office nearby with restricted access for outsiders to systematically commit their crimes.
A oversaw the crimes, including recruiting members, and divided roles into an advertising team, a deception team to trick victims, and a fake website development team.
While investigating a separate investment scam case, the police discovered that a fake website development group had provided a paid dating site to the criminal organization in Vietnam, prompting them to launch an investigation.
Subsequently, the police identified the hideout of A, who was hiding in Vietnam, and through international cooperation, apprehended him locally in August of last year before repatriating him to South Korea.
In addition, the police obtained a pre-indictment attachment order for approximately 530 million KRW of A's criminal proceeds and notified the National Tax Service of the taxation data.
The police have also obtained arrest warrants for the remaining 8 members who fled to Vietnam, placed them on Interpol Red Notice, and taken measures to invalidate their passports and refuse passport reissuance.
The police plan to track down their whereabouts through international cooperation.
(Photo provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.