"Mom, My Screen Is Cracked"... Fraud Ring That Swindled 9.5 Billion Won Arrested

A gang that committed various financial frauds and even distributed drugs under the direction of an overseas ringleader was arrested in large numbers by the police after sending child impersonation text messages to unspecified many people to deceive them.

On the 13th, the Cyber Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency reported to Yonhap News that they booked 80 people, including A, a man in his 40s who was the domestic ringleader, on charges of fraud, extortion, and computer-related fraud, among whom 32 were arrested and sent to prosecution, while the rest were sent without detention. Additionally, 146 people were sent without detention on charges of providing fake bank accounts (violation of the Electronic Financial Transactions Act).

Bank passbooks and cards seized by the police
[Photo by Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News]

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From December 2022 to May this year, A and others are accused of committing all-out financial frauds such as voice phishing, messenger phishing, body cam phishing, smishing, and fake review part-time job scams under the instructions of overseas ringleader B via Telegram, embezzling about 9.5 billion KRW. They committed crimes by sending mass text messages impersonating children to victims, saying, "Mom, my phone screen is broken, please help with the insurance," or by impersonating investigative agencies and deceiving victims into transferring money by claiming their accounts were used in fraud. It is known that the number of victims who suffered from them reached 220.

They also recruited part-time workers by saying, "If you purchase items from a shopping mall and write positive reviews, you will be paid," and then took advance deposits needed for purchases and disappeared, a so-called 'review part-time job scam.' Among them, six are also accused of distributing drugs such as methamphetamine and marijuana using the so-called 'throwing' method. When the police arrested them in August last year, they seized 649g of methamphetamine, 143g of marijuana, and 368 tablets of MDMA, a psychotropic drug. The police are tracking the whereabouts of the overseas ringleader B.

Seized Narcotics
[Image Source=Provided by Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News]

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It was investigated that A and others mainly played roles such as collecting money from domestic victims recruited by overseas ringleader B via phone calls and text messages or transferring money using fake bank accounts. The withdrawal and management agents who worked with A mostly joined the crime while looking for high-paying jobs on online job sites or messengers. Among those who provided fake bank accounts to A's gang, some were deceived by text messages such as "You have been hired, so please submit the bank account to receive your salary first," without knowing that the accounts would be used for crimes.

A police official said, "Even if the account information was given unintentionally, if it is used for crimes, it can be punished under the Electronic Financial Transactions Act," and added, "If it is not an official hiring process, you must verify the facts multiple times." He also advised, "If you receive money requests through text messages impersonating your child, be sure to call and confirm if it is really your child, and strengthen your personal phone security settings to prevent installation of programs from unverified sources."

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