Gang Threatened Over 400 People with Sex Trade Videos and Body Cam Footage, Extorted 1.7 Billion Won

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A gang that extorted large sums of money from hundreds of men who attempted to engage in prostitution has been arrested by the police.

On the 18th, the Gangseo Police Station in Seoul announced that they had arrested and sent to prosecution a man in his 20s, Mr. A, and a teenage woman, Ms. B, on charges including blackmail.

They are accused of secretly filming prostitution scenes with hidden cameras to threaten the buyers of sex or to induce 'body cam phishing' or arranged meetings, then extorting money from the men.

According to the police investigation, they installed malicious software on the victims' mobile phones to extract contact information of their family and acquaintances, then threatened to distribute videos.

The police became aware of this crime while investigating a male victim who was threatened by them and ultimately took extreme measures.

After seizing and analyzing two bank accounts to which the victim had transferred money, it was found that over 400 people had sent money to these accounts last month alone. The total amount transferred reached approximately 1.7 billion KRW.

The police are also investigating whether the account holders of the two accounts were actually involved in the crime.

The police plan to expand the investigation as widening the crime period may reveal more victims of blackmail.

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