Malaysian Man Offered to Join Voice Phishing Organization
Busan District Court Sentences Him to 2 Years in Prison, Citing Serious Involvement
A Malaysian man who entered South Korea after receiving a proposal from a voice phishing (telephone financial fraud) organization and installed a relay device that converts overseas phone numbers into domestic numbers was sentenced to imprisonment.
On the 1st, Yonhap News reported that Judge Bae Jin-ho of Criminal Division 7 at the Busan District Court sentenced Malaysian man A, who was detained and prosecuted on charges of fraud and violation of the Telecommunications Business Act, to two years in prison.
A converter that changes overseas-originated '070' phone numbers to domestic '010' numbers. Photo by Busan Police Agency, Yonhap News
In June of last year, Mr. A received an offer from a voice phishing organization member promising to provide an airline ticket and pay 1,000 ringgit (about 280,000 KRW) per case if he came to South Korea to install and manage relay devices. Earning 3,000 ringgit (about 840,000 KRW) per month in Malaysia, he was tempted by the prospect of earning more money and being provided with room and board, so he accepted the offer. After entering South Korea, Mr. A secretly broke into several buildings in Daejeon at night and installed phone number alteration relay devices in rooftop distribution boxes, then managed them.
The voice phishing organization used the alteration relay devices installed by Mr. A to convert overseas originating numbers such as 070 into domestic 010 phone numbers about 2,000 times, then used them for fraudulent activities. Mr. A denied his charges, claiming he only installed the relay devices and did not conspire with the voice phishing members in the fraud. However, the court did not accept this. The court found sufficient evidence that Mr. A installed the devices while being aware, albeit indirectly, that the devices he managed would be used in the crimes, thus participating in the fraud.
The court explained the sentencing by stating, "The defendant’s installation of the relay devices made it easier for the voice phishing organization to commit fraud, indicating a high degree of involvement," and added, "The number of installed relay devices was large, and over 2,000 phone numbers were altered."
Meanwhile, in May, a telecommunications sales business owner and several foreigners and Koreans who illegally activated hundreds of mobile phone SIM cards using forged foreigner subscription applications and sold them to voice phishing organizations, as well as those who converted overseas internet phone numbers into domestic phone numbers, were arrested in large numbers.
On May 27, Jeju Police Agency announced that they had arrested and sent to prosecution four individuals, including a man in his 30s, Mr. A, a distributor of burner phones, Mr. B, a manager of alteration relay devices, a Russian national in his 20s, Mr. C, and an Indonesian woman in her 40s, Ms. D, on charges including violation of the Telecommunications Business Act. Additionally, six Koreans including Mr. E were booked and are under investigation for the same charges.
Mr. A is accused of operating a telecommunications sales store, forging subscription applications under the names of more than 470 foreigners, illegally activating mobile phone SIM cards, and selling them to voice phishing organizations for 200,000 KRW each. Mr. B and three others installed and managed alteration relay devices that convert overseas internet phone numbers such as '070' into domestic numbers like '010,' sending bait messages to unspecified recipients and inducing them to install malicious applications used for phishing crimes. Those under non-custodial investigation, including Mr. E, are believed to have assisted in managing the alteration relay devices and participated in sending bait messages.
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