Police Select 15 Best Cases for Catching Overseas Phishing Rings and Preventing Fraud, Awarding 50 Million Won in Prizes

The National Office of Investigation under the Korean National Police Agency announced today (October 29) that it has selected 15 best cases of cracking down on and preventing phishing crimes, and decided to award a total of 50 million won in special performance bonuses.

Evaluating achievements from January to August of this year, the agency selected nine cases of apprehending overseas-based criminal organizations, two cases of blocking crime methods and providing damage relief, and four cases of prevention and public relations.

7 million won each will be awarded to the 1st Phishing Team of the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Unit 1 and the 3rd Team of the Sejong Provincial Police Agency's Major and Narcotics Crime Investigation Division, which were selected for top performance.

The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency's 1st Phishing Team apprehended 89 people, including the Korean mastermind of a romance scam organization that swindled approximately 10.8 billion won from 243 victims in Cambodia, and detained 25 of them.

The Sejong Provincial Police Agency's investigation team apprehended 11 members of a voice phishing organization that impersonated credit card companies, investigative agencies, and financial authorities in China, Thailand, and Laos, swindling about 3.1 billion won from 68 victims, and detained 7 of them.

The Data Analysis Division of the National Police Agency's Telecommunications Financial Fraud Integrated Response Center cooperated with major messenger companies to block 61,435 suspicious accounts and 9,385 chat rooms from October of last year to August of this year.

The 1st Team of the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency's Metropolitan Prevention Patrol Unit 1 met directly with 30 people at risk of falling victim from January to August of this year, preventing approximately 540 million won in damages.

From January to September of this year, the number of voice phishing cases stood at 9,333, a 50.2% decrease compared to the same period last year.

Damages decreased by 57.5%, dropping from 986.7 billion won to 419.6 billion won.

Hong Seok-ki, head of the National Office of Investigation, said, "We will actively discover and reward police officers who have achieved exceptional results to protect the precious assets of our citizens, and continue a whole-of-government response that encompasses both apprehension and prevention."

※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.