160,000 Personal Information Hacks and Distribution on Corporate Sites, 16 Arrested

PC inside the motel room where the webcam used in the crime was installed

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[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A group involved in hacking securities information portals and corporate websites to steal and sell as many as 390,000 pieces of customer personal information has been apprehended by the police.

The Cyber Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 19th that six people, including the organization's leader Mr. A (51), were arrested on charges including violation of the Personal Information Protection Act, and 10 others, including private investigator Mr. B (28), were booked without detention. According to the police, from December 2019 to September last year, they hacked eight sites including securities information portals to steal information of over 390,000 members, and sold 1,207 pieces of personal information such as resident registration numbers. The illegal profits they gained from these crimes amounted to 38 million KRW.

Mr. A and others are also suspected of illegally filming guests using webcams built into PCs in motel rooms while operating the motel from February to September last year. They attempted to blackmail guests with the illegal footage or sell it online, but were caught early, resulting in an unsuccessful attempt. The police explained that from July 2020 to September last year, seven delivery workers who provided accounts to telecommunications and insurance company employees who leaked personal information to them, as well as to the delivery company’s customer information system, were also arrested. A police official stated, "We plan to continue investigating secondary crimes such as stalking using leaked personal information and requests for personal information inquiries."

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