"Disguised as 010": Voice Phishing Organization Busted for Installing Relay Devices Nationwide, Causing 7.8 Billion Won in Damages

Sejong Police Agency Arrests 20, Including Ringleader
Over 2,000 Relay Devices and Equipment Seized

Relay device used in the crime / Sejong Police Agency

It has been revealed that a voice phishing organization installed illegal relay devices throughout the Seoul metropolitan area to disguise overseas caller IDs as domestic '010' numbers, causing damages amounting to approximately 7.8 billion won.

The police arrested 20 members of the organization, including the domestic ringleader, and detained 14 of them.

The Violent and Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit of the Sejong Police Agency announced on the 30th that it had apprehended a group that supported telephone financial fraud by installing and operating VoIP gateways in small offices, apartments, and goshiwons across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, on charges of violating the Telecommunications Business Act and the Act on Compensation for Damages from Telecommunication Fraud.

A total of 28 illegal relay stations were installed by the group, and 2,066 pieces of telecommunications equipment?including relay devices, antennas, home cameras, laptops, and small computers (Raspberry Pi)?were confiscated.

There were 237 victims, with total damages estimated at about 7.8 billion won. The police plan to apply for the preservation of criminal proceeds for confiscation.

The organization was found to have used meticulous methods to evade police tracking, such as throwing equipment into fire hydrant boxes and terminal boxes for delivery, or hiding relay devices in closed spaces that are difficult for outsiders to access.

Seized Evidence / Sejong Police Agency

The police stated, "Voice phishing organizations spoof caller IDs from overseas and can make calls using 010 numbers. Investigative agencies and financial institutions will never request money, so if you receive a suspicious call, hang up immediately and report it to 112."

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