Government Joint Investigation Team Arrests and Prosecutes 7 Members of 'Voice Phishing' Organization Impersonating Law Enforcement Agencies to Evade Capture

Stole About 2.9 Billion KRW from 58 Victims
Interpol Red Notices Issued for Four Including Overseas Mastermind
Lower-Level Members Sentenced to One to Seven Years in Prison
"Relentless Pursuit and Strict Punishment Until the End"

The Joint Government Investigation Team on Voice Phishing Crimes announced that it tracked down and arrested all seven call center members who committed voice phishing crimes in 2019 and fled to evade the investigation, and on the 14th, they were all indicted in custody.

According to the Joint Investigation Team on the 16th, the team uncovered the existence of a voice phishing organization based in Dalian and Qingdao, China (led by the mastermind ‘Moonseong’), and confirmed that from July 2017 to July 2019, they defrauded 58 victims of approximately 2.9 billion KRW by impersonating investigative agencies. The team identified 31 members of the organization and by December 27, 2023, prosecuted 20 of them (19 in custody, 1 not in custody).

Among the members involved at the time, seven fled upon learning of the investigation, but all were arrested after continuous pursuit by the investigation team. Notably, two of them attempted to evade the investigation by using mobile phones registered under other people’s names and frequently changing their locations, but were successfully apprehended through precise investigative techniques.

The investigation team has issued Interpol red notices for four members of the organization, including the mastermind who fled overseas, and continues to track them through international cooperative investigations.

Meanwhile, the prosecuted members so far, despite being lower-level operatives, have been sentenced to heavy prison terms ranging from one to seven years. Voice phishing crimes target an unspecified large number of people, involve significant damage, and are carried out in an organized manner, so even lower-level members are considered to play important roles and are judged to bear serious responsibility.

The Joint Government Investigation Team stated, "All suspects involved in voice phishing crimes will be pursued and arrested regardless of their degree of involvement, and strict punishment according to the law will be ensured."