Twenty-somethings Referred to Prosecution for Supplying Over 400 Dummy Bankbooks to Voice Phishing Organizations

Items such as dummy bankbooks and check cards seized from a dummy bankbook distribution organization by the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul. Yongsan Police Station, Seoul

On June 11, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul announced that it had referred 28 individuals, including the ringleader (age 26) and deputy ringleader (age 27) of a dummy bankbook organization, to the prosecution on charges of supplying hundreds of dummy bankbooks to voice phishing organizations. Of these, 20 have been handed over to the prosecution while in custody.

According to the police, from July 2022 to April this year, these individuals are suspected of providing more than 400 dummy bankbooks to criminal organizations involved in voice phishing. The police stated that the amount of money transferred by victims deceived by voice phishing into these dummy bankbooks exceeds 50 billion won.

It is also reported that the suspects laundered the money by transferring funds received from voice phishing victims through these dummy bankbooks to other dummy bankbooks, then withdrawing the cash directly from banks and purchasing gift certificates.

The crimes were carried out in an organized manner, with roles divided among the ringleader, deputy ringleader, manager-level team leaders, field staff responsible for opening dummy bankbooks and withdrawing cash, and office staff operating group chat rooms on Telegram. Most of the members were born between 1995 and 2002, making them in their early to mid-20s. Investigations also revealed that members were trained to provide false statements in case they were arrested during the crimes.

A police official stated, "We will continue to track down voice phishing and other criminal organizations that conspired with the dummy bankbook group until the end," and added, "As voice phishing crimes continue to evolve, if you receive a call from a public or investigative agency asking for your card or account password, never comply and report it to the police immediately."