10 Members of Voice Phishing Gang Based in China Accused of Embezzling 4.6 Billion Won; 7 Arrested

The Chief Is a Former Entry-Level Counselor
Victims Number Up to 106

A group that organized a call center in Sanya City, China, and committed voice phishing crimes has been apprehended.

Methods Used by Voice Phishing Gang [Image Source=Dongbu District Prosecutors' Office]

On the 12th, the Voice Phishing Crime Government Joint Task Force of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office announced that they have booked 10 people, including the mastermind who operated the voice phishing organization and call center employees, of whom 6 were arrested and prosecuted on charges of fraud, joining and participating in a criminal organization, and 1 was prosecuted without detention.

They are accused of committing voice phishing crimes against 106 victims in the areas of Dalian, Qingdao, and Sanya City, China, from 2019 until May of this year, embezzling 4.6 billion KRW.

The mastermind, Mr. A, established a call center directly in Sanya City last February based on the crime methods he learned while working at call centers in the Qinhuangdao and Dalian regions. In the past, Mr. A participated in the crimes while working as a junior employee, counselor, and team leader in three different regions. He recruited employees he met there into his own organization.

Cash embezzled by voice phishing gang. [Image source=Dongbu District Prosecutors' Office]

First, the primary counselor impersonated a prosecutor's investigator and deceived victims into believing their accounts were used in the crime, inducing them to check arrest warrants. Then, the secondary counselor impersonated a prosecutor and demanded that the victim install a malicious application (app) on their mobile phone. The tertiary counselor, impersonating a Financial Supervisory Service employee, told the victim that to prevent illegal additional loans, it was necessary to verify the details of their assets and instructed them to transfer their assets to a "dapo" account.

The Joint Task Force stated, "During the investigation, we confirmed the reality that young people who could not find jobs domestically stayed illegally in China for extended periods, moving between call centers," and added, "We will perfectly maintain the prosecution to ensure that the defendants receive sentences commensurate with their crimes."