46 Voice Phishing Ring Members Repatriated from Cambodia Sentenced to Prison in First Trial

The court has sentenced all 46 members of a criminal organization, who were repatriated to Korea in October last year after carrying out online scams based in Southeast Asia, to prison terms.

On April 21, the 1st Criminal Division of the Hongseong Branch of Daejeon District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Hyoseon, sentenced 46 telephone financial fraud (voice phishing) organization members, including a 35-year-old identified as A, to prison terms ranging from a minimum of 1 year and 8 months to a maximum of 10 years on charges including joining a criminal organization.

A and others were brought to trial on charges of participating in telecom financial fraud at a call center of an international voice phishing ring, run by B (an ethnic Korean-Chinese), also known as "Bugun," who operated out of Cambodia and Thailand from June 2024 to July last year. They are accused of defrauding about 9.4 billion won from 110 victims.

Koreans involved in online scams in Cambodia and detained there were repatriated through Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 in October last year. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

원본보기 아이콘

Most of them were detained by local immigration authorities in Cambodia and were collectively repatriated to Korea in October last year.

Many of the defendants argued during the trial that they should not be held responsible for crimes committed by other teams, as they were only part of teams involved in impersonating prosecutors, cryptocurrency investment scams, or government office no-shows. However, the court did not accept this argument. Some defendants also claimed that, since they were only in either Cambodia or Thailand, they should not be held accountable for crimes committed in the other country, but this was also rejected by the court.

The court stated, "Voice phishing is a serious crime that causes not only financial losses to victims but also significant psychological trauma," and sentenced all 46 individuals to prison terms.

However, the court took into account, as mitigating circumstances, the fact that the actual gains received by the defendants were relatively small compared to the total amount defrauded, and considered each defendant's period of involvement, level of participation, and criminal history in determining the length of each sentence.

Regarding A, who received the heaviest sentence of 10 years in prison, the court explained, "He worked as a team leader for more than 14 months, the crime period was very long, and his level of involvement was significant," and added, "He denied some of the charges and showed no remorse."

In contrast, those who received lighter sentences were organization members with a short period of involvement (1 to 2 months), those who were low-level members, or those who reached settlements with some of the victims who then chose not to pursue punishment.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.