The Daegu Nambu Police Station announced that it has detained and referred a 24-year-old ring leader, identified as A, to the prosecution on charges of recruiting and purchasing mobile phone SIM cards and burner accounts and reselling them to voice phishing criminal organizations.

In addition, police referred six recruiters involved in the crime and 104 individuals who received money from A's organization in exchange for handing over SIM cards and accounts, without detention on the same charges.

The ring leader A and the six recruiters, totaling seven people, are accused of recruiting sellers through Telegram advertisements and other means from June of last year over a period of about a year, buying the SIM cards and accounts for 80,000 to 100,000 won each, and reselling them to criminal organizations at roughly three times the price, pocketing around 30 million won.

Previously, police launched an investigation after uncovering circumstances in November of last year during a voice phishing investigation that A and others had illegally purchased SIM cards and accounts and sold them to criminal organizations.

A police official stated, "Renting out bank accounts or opening SIM cards under the pretense of making quick and easy money can lead to criminal punishment, so individuals must exercise extreme caution."

(Photo: Yonhap News)