KakaoTalk Large-Scale Fake Account Distribution Ring Arrested

A group that distributed SNS ghost accounts to various criminal organizations involved in voice phishing, messenger scams, and bodycam phishing to gain illegal profits was caught by the police.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they arrested 60 members of the organization on charges of generating tens of thousands of KakaoTalk accounts by changing mobile phone SIM cards and numbers to gain illegal profits, and among them, 12 ringleaders were detained.

According to the police, the suspects committed the crimes by opening SIM cards from budget phone carriers, immediately applying for number changes and dual numbers, and verifying KakaoTalk accounts with multiple phone numbers.

From April 2021, they operated from offices located in Gangnam and Songpa, Seoul, where 45 accomplices helped verify KakaoTalk account registrations on behalf of various criminal organizations, earning illegal profits amounting to 2.2627 billion KRW and abetting 41 cases of fraud.

They exploited the fact that repeatedly opening and canceling budget phone carrier SIM cards on the same day did not result in sanctions from the carriers.

Overview of the Crime.[Image source=Busan Police Agency]

While investigating a bodycam phishing case reported in November 2022, the police became aware of a KakaoTalk account distributor, and in April, they confirmed that KakaoTalk accounts distributed by this group were used in a drug beverage extortion case in the Gangnam academy district of Seoul.

Fifty-eight mobile phones and 199 SIM cards used in the crimes were seized, and 6,023 KakaoTalk accounts were suspended. Additionally, 1.44 billion KRW of criminal proceeds were recovered through court-ordered seizure preservation.

A police official stated, “Even now, opening one mobile phone SIM card can provide multiple phone numbers, and KakaoTalk accounts can be created and used with each number. The created accounts can continue to be used even if the number is changed, so countermeasures are necessary.”

He added, “Many people mistakenly believe that selling their KakaoTalk accounts to others is not a crime, but it is clearly subject to criminal punishment. Especially if one’s account is used in other crimes, they can be punished as an accomplice.”

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