Voice Phishing Syndicate Steals 10 Billion Won from Seniors, Even Intercepted 112 Emergency Calls

A voice phishing syndicate that operated call centers in China and defrauded elderly people in South Korea of around 10 billion won has been completely dismantled through joint operations between South Korean and Chinese police.

The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency announced today (the 25th) that it has transferred six South Korean suspects, who were recently forcibly repatriated from China, to the prosecution under arrest for charges including joining and participating in a criminal organization and violating the Act on Prevention of Damage from Telecommunications-based Financial Fraud and Refund of Telecommunications-based Financial Fraud.

The syndicate is accused of calling 118 people—mostly South Koreans in their 60s or older—between January of last year and March of this year, approaching them under the pretext that a "check card has been issued," and extorting a total of approximately 10 billion won.

After making initial contact by claiming that a check card had been issued, the suspects made victims install a malicious call-interception app on their phones, which routed outgoing calls to syndicate members even if the victims attempted to call investigative agencies.

Unaware that they were connected to phishing syndicate members posing as police officers despite dialing the emergency number 112 directly, the victims let down their guard.

Exploiting this psychological vulnerability, the suspects deceived victims by saying, "Your account has been implicated in a crime and victims have emerged. We need to inspect your assets to see if you are also a victim," and "You need to follow a few procedures for summary investigation rather than detention." They extorted money by collecting the victims' check cards or receiving cryptocurrency transfers.

Investigations revealed that they set up voice phishing call center offices in China, assigning roles such as card delivery personnel, card company security team employees, police officers, Financial Supervisory Service employees, and prosecutors to carry out the crimes.

The Gangwon Provincial Police and the Jilin Provincial Public Security Department conducted a joint investigation after obtaining intelligence regarding the syndicate's criminal activities.

In particular, they brought the mobile phones—the core evidence of the case—back to South Korea to seize them directly, and secured records showing that criminal proceeds were paid in cryptocurrency.

The two agencies apprehended 10 suspects locally in China, including four Chinese suspects such as the overseas mastermind and six South Koreans.

The South Korean suspects had joined the organization after seeing high-paying part-time job postings or through introductions from existing members, taking on roles as telephone operators.

Police are expanding their investigation into additional crimes committed by the suspects and domestic connected organizations.

They also plan to apply for a pre-indictment preservation order to freeze 450 million won in criminal proceeds acquired through cryptocurrency.

Choi Hyun-seok, head of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, stated, "We will further strengthen practical cooperation with overseas investigative agencies to take the lead in eradicating phishing crimes."

The Jilin Provincial Public Security Department also stated, "Contributing together to the war on crime is a shared goal, and the achievements are the result of our joint efforts."

Meanwhile, the Gangwon Provincial Police visited the Jilin Provincial Public Security Department last June and adopted a mutual agreement containing provisions for sharing voice phishing crime information and actively cooperating on the repatriation of suspects to South Korea.

(Photo provided by Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.