After Developing an Online Romance, 165 Million Won 'Swindled'... 12 Members of International Fraud Ring Arrested

9 People Detained and 3 People Sent to Prosecution Without Detention

An international romance scam gang that built relationships through social networking services (SNS) and then demanded money under various pretexts has been handed over to the prosecution.

Conversation content between the suspect and the victim. Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

On the 19th, the Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they had arrested and sent nine people, including the domestic ringleader A (Russian, 44), of the international romance scam gang to the prosecution on charges of fraud and other offenses, while three others were sent without detention. They are accused of impersonating U.S. troops deployed in Syria and international students from January to October this year, approaching victims via SNS, and swindling a total of approximately 1.4 billion KRW from 14 victims over 68 instances.

They posted fake photos and resumes on their SNS profiles and built long-term relationships with victims to establish bonds, eventually developing into "online romantic relationships." Afterwards, they deceived victims multiple times by saying things like, "I work as a ship helmsman, and I will send cargo, so if you pay the customs fees on my behalf, I will repay you immediately," thereby extorting money. One female victim checked the tracking number and delivery information on an internet site sent by the gang and ended up sending about 165 million KRW over 17 transactions, but it was confirmed that the site was fake.

The police plan to establish a focused investigation system targeting the ringleaders and money handlers operating domestically and to carry out strong crackdowns. A police official urged, "Citizens should not be deceived if someone they met through SNS demands money, and should report to the police or verify the criminal connection."

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