Criminal Gang Luring Koreans to Cambodia for Bank Account Theft and Torture Remains Active

A criminal group that lured South Koreans to Cambodia, only to hold them captive and torture them to seize their bank accounts for illegal use, has been apprehended by the police.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Division announced today (June 23) that it has referred 11 individuals, including the 30-year-old ringleader identified as 'A', to the prosecution on charges including organizing a criminal group, kidnapping and transferring persons abroad, confinement, and special injury.

Of the 11 suspects, six, including 'A', were referred to the prosecution while in custody.

Nine additional individuals who provided their bank accounts to the group (violating the Electronic Financial Transactions Act) were also recently referred to the prosecution without detention.

'A' is accused of establishing a criminal organization in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in July of last year to collect 'daepo' accounts (bank accounts used under someone else's name for illegal activities).

Recruiters for 'A's organization used Telegram to lure victims by promising jobs in Cambodia, offering perks such as hotel accommodations, airfare, and Korean meals.

Once the victims arrived in Cambodia with their bank accounts, they were held captive, assaulted, and threatened until they surrendered their accounts.

The seized accounts were sold to phishing organizations for 10 million to 20 million won each. Organization members were paid a monthly salary of 2 million to 4 million won, with recruiters receiving an additional incentive of 1 million to 2 million won.

Investigations revealed that the account holders were held captive for two to six weeks in locations such as the Oun-gu complex in Sihanoukville.

When it was discovered that one of the victims had secretly filmed their accommodation and travel routes with a mobile phone, the group publicly assaulted and tortured the victim, sharing footage of the act among the organization members.

Under these circumstances, the victims were forced to increase their bank transfer limits to 100 million won per transaction and up to 500 million won per day. They were also forced to rehearse scenarios to unlock their accounts by calling bank representatives directly if they were flagged by domestic monitoring systems.

The police are currently tracking two other members of 'A's group who remain in Cambodia by invalidating their passports and issuing Interpol Red Notices.

A police official emphasized, "Luring people abroad with offers of 'high-paying part-time jobs' or 'large cash payments' is a common tactic used by phishing and money laundering criminal organizations," adding, "Victims can easily fall prey to violent crimes, including confinement, assault, and threats."

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