1923 Victims, 151.1 Billion KRW in Damages
Pretending to be Prosecutor's Office and Financial Supervisory Service
The National Police Agency announced on the 25th that four individuals, including the masterminds of a telephone financial fraud, Mr. A and Mr. B, who were apprehended through cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, have been forcibly repatriated to South Korea.
They are accused of impersonating public institutions such as the Prosecutor's Office and the Financial Supervisory Service in Hangzhou, China, since 2017, embezzling approximately 151.1 billion KRW. So far, 1,923 victims have been identified.
Mr. A and Mr. B recently moved their base to Dalian, China, where they operated the telephone financial fraud organization. Mr. C actively participated in the crime by presenting fake official IDs and arrest warrants with prosecutors' photos to victims. Mr. D, while working as a call center counselor for telephone financial fraud around 2019, mocked a victim who pleaded for the return of defrauded money, which led to the victim's suicide.
They were placed on Interpol's Red Notice list starting in 2020, and the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency identified their location in China in 2022. The National Police Agency shared tracking information with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and held close consultations. Around April last year, eight members of the organization were arrested, and by November of the same year, a total of 11 individuals were repatriated to South Korea. In March, a hideout in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, was discovered, leading to the arrest of an additional 29 Korean members of the organization.
The National Police Agency plans to focus investigations on the repatriated suspects, centered on the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency. For the remaining 14 suspects, they plan to promptly pursue repatriation through consultations with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.
A National Police Agency official stated, "This repatriation has great significance in making criminals recognize that even if they commit crimes abroad to evade investigation and arrest by law enforcement agencies, they will inevitably be caught through close cooperation with local police overseas."
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