'Fraud Crimes' Threatening Ordinary People Surge... Police Special Crackdown Arrests 56,000 Suspects

23,407 Cyber Fraud Cases, 19,634 Voice Phishing Cases
618 Fugitives and 143 Overseas Escapees Also Caught

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters announced on the 17th that it conducted a "special crackdown on fraud crimes" in the first and second halves of this year, arresting 56,316 fraudsters including those involved in telephone financial fraud, of whom 3,278 were detained.

From February to June and August to October, over a total of eight months, the police carried out intensive crackdowns on fraud crimes that harm the everyday economy, including telephone financial fraud, everyday fraud (insurance fraud, employment fraud, jeonse fraud), and cyber fraud (goods transaction fraud, messenger phishing, item fraud, new method fraud).

By type, telephone financial fraud such as "voice phishing" resulted in 20,487 cases and 19,634 arrests. The police also uncovered 55,456 items misused as crime tools, including burner phones, fake bank accounts, and illegal phone number alteration devices, as well as illegal currency exchanges amounting to 48.4 billion KRW. Additionally, in cooperation with telecommunications companies, 160,086 crime-used phone lines were suspended, and through activating 112 emergency calls during large cash withdrawals, 2,977 cases and 60.7 billion KRW in damages were prevented.

In the field of everyday fraud such as insurance, jeonse, and employment, 11,907 individuals were arrested. Specifically, the largest number was 11,440 arrests related to insurance fraud involving automobile insurance and indemnity insurance, followed by 243 cases of jeonse deposit embezzlement by landlords and real estate agents, and 224 employment fraud cases involving extortion of money or goods under the pretense of employment. Furthermore, through focused crackdowns on illegal activities such as virtual asset pyramid schemes, 219 cases and 750 individuals were apprehended.

In cyber fraud and financial crimes, 87,594 cases were detected, leading to 23,407 arrests. Among these, direct transaction fraud involving used goods accounted for 53,756 cases (61.4%), followed by game fraud (5,175 cases) and messenger phishing (2,585 cases).

During the second half of the year, a "focused arrest period for wanted fraudsters" was operated, resulting in the arrest of 618 wanted individuals and the extradition of 139 fugitives abroad. The police organized 440 tracking teams across 152 police stations and dispatched four Korean desks to four countries including China, actively cooperating internationally to repatriate fugitives. As a result, they arrested 36 wanted individuals nearing the statute of limitations, 92 long-term wanted individuals wanted for over three years, 98 individuals wanted for three or more cases, and 97 wanted for embezzlement exceeding 100 million KRW.

The amount approved by the court for pre-indictment seizure and confiscation of fraud crime proceeds was 581.9 billion KRW, more than 24 times higher than the same period last year. This year, the police expanded the crime proceeds tracking teams in metropolitan and provincial police agencies to 149 members and designated fraud cases involving 500 million KRW or more as "mandatory crime proceeds tracking cases," actively pursuing the recovery of criminal proceeds.

The police plan to continue the special crackdown on "illegal activities such as virtual asset pyramid schemes" until the end of the year and operate a "focused arrest period for overseas masterminds and criminal organizations involved in telephone financial fraud" until the end of February next year.

A National Police Agency official stated, "Even after the special crackdown period ends, we will continue to concentrate police investigative capabilities to eradicate fraud crimes that threaten the foundation of the everyday economy," adding, "We will further expand the specialized investigation system and actively promote related law amendments and system improvements in cooperation with relevant agencies to fundamentally prevent and eradicate damages."

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