Voice Phishing Government Joint Task Force Launched 1 Year Ago... 280 People Booked, 86 Arrested

34% Decrease in Detected Damage Amount in First Half of Year
Mastermind Sentenced to 20 Years Imprisonment
Forfeiture of Criminal Proceeds, Restitution to Victims

The government joint investigation team for voice phishing crimes announced on the 3rd that since its launch at the end of July last year, it has booked a total of 280 suspects over one year, of whom 86 have been detained. The amount of voice phishing damage detected last year was 543.8 billion KRW, a 30% decrease compared to the previous year, and the amount detected in the first half of this year was 205 billion KRW, a 34% reduction compared to the same period last year.

The joint investigation team uncovered an organization that massively distributed fake bank accounts, booking 24 people including the ringleader, bank employees involved in account opening, and brokers who covered up police cases, with 12 of them indicted in detention. They also uncovered a caller ID spoofing organization including minors, booking 25 people such as the domestic relay manager connected to a Chinese voice phishing organization, with 20 indicted in detention. Through international cooperation, they repatriated and prosecuted 18 overseas fugitive voice phishing criminals, including ringleaders who had been on the run in China for three years.

According to the strengthened voice phishing crime handling standards, the joint investigation team applied the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud) to the main perpetrators such as the ringleaders, and applied the crime of joining and engaging in a criminal organization to lower-level members. The team confiscated and preserved 1.4 billion KRW of criminal proceeds by applying the crime of criminal organization activities to the proceeds obtained by the criminals, and through criminal judicial cooperation, directly recovered voice phishing damages from Taiwan and returned them to the victims.

The joint investigation team announced that it has decided to extend its operation period in consultation with relevant authorities. A representative of the team said, "We will continue to cooperate with foreign investigative authorities to capture and repatriate voice phishing ringleaders who are fugitives overseas, and focus on dismantling international voice phishing organizations."

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