[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A gang involved in overseas phone financial fraud (hereinafter referred to as voice phishing), operating based in China, has been caught by the police.
On the 12th, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency announced that they recently arrested seven members of a voice phishing gang who operated call center offices in Yantai and Weihai, China, respectively, and defrauded 1.8 billion KRW from 68 victims.
According to the police, the suspects are accused of randomly calling victims, deceiving them with the bait of "low-interest loans," installing malicious apps on their mobile phones, and embezzling money obtained from loans from financial institutions.
In particular, most of the victims were citizens experiencing financial difficulties who took out loans from third-tier financial institutions and handed over money to the voice phishing gang.
The voice phishing gang is reported to have divided roles among the head of the organization, recruiters, and phishing agents.
The police have currently detained seven out of 20 members of the organization, canceled the passports of eight members residing overseas, and issued arrest warrants, requesting Interpol to issue red notices.
Additionally, by tracking criminal proceeds, the police have seized and preserved virtual currency worth approximately 64 million KRW purchased by the phishing team leader with criminal proceeds, which is expected to be returned to the victims later.
A police official stated, "We will focus our investigative efforts to eradicate voice phishing criminals," adding, "In particular, we will make every effort to completely dismantle organizations based overseas to prevent further harm to innocent victims."
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