▲ Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency sign
A ring that lured victims into opening cell phones under the pretext of providing loans and then sold the devices overseas has been referred to the prosecution.
The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency announced that it has detained and sent three key figures—including masterminds surnamed A (36) and B (36), and cell phone opening broker C (35)—to prosecutors on charges including fraud and violations of the Telecommunications Business Act, while referring 27 other accomplices without detention on the same charges.
They are accused of setting up offices in areas such as Gwangju-Jeonnam, Busan, and Daegu from August 2023 until recently, having loan applicants open 1,226 cell phones under their names, and selling the devices to overseas stolen goods distribution networks.
After securing the personal information of low-credit individuals from loan sharks, the suspects used the scheme of promising low-interest loans if the victims opened cell phones.
When loan applicants opened cell phones worth 1.5 million to 2 million won, the suspects paid them 800,000 to 900,000 won under the guise of loan proceeds and sold the acquired devices to stolen goods distribution networks operating overseas.
Initiating an investigation based on related intelligence, the police raided offices operated in the form of call centers in each region to uncover their fraudulent activities.
In addition, the police applied for pre-indictment preservation of criminal proceeds amounting to 1.55 billion won.
A police official stated, "Handing over a cell phone under your own name to someone else as a condition for receiving a loan can result in punishment under relevant laws," adding, "If you encounter suspicious loan advertisements, you should report them to investigative authorities."
(Photo provided by Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)
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