Seven Members of 'Voice Phishing' Gang Impersonating Investigative Agencies Arrested for Embezzling Billions

Most Victims Are Small Business Owners and Day Laborers... 3.8 Billion Won Embezzled

The extortionists are forcibly putting the collectors into the vehicle [Paju Police Station]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] A voice phishing gang that swindled tens of billions of won from small business owners and daily workers using high-interest loans was caught in large numbers by the police.

The Paju Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 5th, "We arrested 79 people, including A, the collector of a face-to-face extortion-type voice phishing organization, and remittance couriers, and detained 7 of them."

A and others who were detained are accused of impersonating investigative agencies from March this year until recently and defrauding 3.882 billion won from 170 victims.

According to the police investigation, three people including A impersonated investigative agencies around March in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and extorted about 17 million won from collector B by confining him in a motel three times.

A and others, who have a criminal record as voice phishing collectors, exploited B's weaknesses to threaten him and forcibly installed a location tracking app on his cellphone.

The police also arrested two additional intermediate couriers, including D, who transferred the victims' money received from B and others to the mastermind.

At D's residence, the police seized a phone number manipulation relay device that displays a Korean phone number as the caller ID even when calling from China.

The victims of the crime were mainly small business owners and daily workers using high-interest loans, and the accused collectors were students, housewives, or unemployed people without fixed income who were deceived by the promise of high-paying part-time jobs.

It is reported that some of the suspects included Chinese nationals. The police are investigating further crimes by the suspects, believing there may be more victims.

A Paju Police Station official emphasized, "Investigative agencies or financial institutions never receive cash on the street, and people should not fall for the temptation of easy money."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.