Husband's Gift Worth 80 Don of Pure Gold in Two Days? Suspicion Led to Voice Phishing Laundering Bust

"I found it suspicious that someone kept coming to the store two days in a row to buy expensive gold under the pretext of getting a gift for her husband."

A sharp-eyed owner of a gold exchange in Sejong played a crucial role in catching a criminal by spotting signs of money laundering by a voice phishing organization and reporting it to the police.

Kang Mo (56), the representative of a Sejong branch of the Korea Appraisal Gold Exchange, said on the 12th, "A woman in unique attire visited different branches over two days to purchase 30 don and 50 don of gold, respectively," adding, "I was certain it was voice phishing funds laundering."

On the 29th of last month, A (in her 50s) stopped by a gold exchange in Sejong and bought 30 don of pure gold, claiming she was looking for a birthday present for her husband.

The very next day, A visited another gold exchange in Sejong, saying she wanted to buy a birthday gift for her husband, and this time attempted to purchase 50 don of pure gold.

As it happened, both branches A visited were stores operated by Kang.

Finding A's appearance and behavior suspicious from the previous transaction, Kang recalled A upon hearing from an employee that a customer had arrived to buy a husband's gift. Kang immediately reviewed the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and confirmed she was the same person.

Sensing something amiss as A hoarded 80 don of gold worth approximately 67 million won over two days across different branches as a gift for her husband, Kang checked A's ID and remittance details, keenly suspected voice phishing, and reported her to the police.

"A said her husband would wire the payment for the pure gold via bank transfer, but the name of the sender was different, which was strange," Kang stated. "I bought time by packing 30 don first and reassuring her that the remaining 20 don would be ready soon."

Police dispatched upon Kang's report apprehended A at the scene.

According to police investigations, she was a cash collector for a voice phishing scam who collected victim funds and laundered them by exchanging them for pure gold to deliver elsewhere.

It was revealed that she had collected and delivered a total of 120 million won worth of gold or cash since the beginning of this year.

The Sejong Nambu Police Station booked A on charges of violating the Special Act on Prevention of Losses from Telecommunications-based Financial Fraud and Refund of Damaged Amounts, while presenting Kang with a letter of appreciation and a catch reward for contributing to the arrest and crime prevention.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.