"Cambodia-Based Phishing Group 'Ma Dongseok Team' Sentenced to 3-6 Years in Prison"

Members of a voice phishing organization based in Cambodia, who extorted hundreds of millions of won from victims, have been sentenced to prison in the first trial.

Seoul Eastern District Court

On October 17, the 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court (Presiding Judge Kang Minho) sentenced Seo (32), who was indicted and detained on charges of joining a criminal organization, to six years in prison and an additional forfeiture of 70 million won.

Another member, Kim (23), received a four-year prison sentence and a forfeiture of 2,807,000 won, while Kim (26) was sentenced to three years in prison and a forfeiture of 21,333,200 won. Han (27) and Kim (28) were each sentenced to three years and six months in prison, with additional forfeitures of 3,508,050 won and 7,017,500 won, respectively.

They were accused of working as call center agents in the "Hanya Call Center," a voice phishing organization led by a foreign national, and participating in crimes such as romance scams and investment recommendation chat rooms.

The court stated, "The telecommunications financial fraud caused irreparable harm to the victims and has had a severe impact on our society. The methods used in these crimes have also become highly sophisticated, making detection difficult and worsening the damage."

Previously, in August, the court sentenced other members, Shin and Na, to four years and one year and six months in prison, respectively. On October 1, another member, Kim, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.