A group that had organized various scam teams in Pattaya, Thailand-including impersonating institutions, romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and no-show scams-has been apprehended by the police.
Workshop scene of a fraud organization arrested in Pattaya, Thailand. Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Financial Crime Investigation Unit.
On September 22, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Financial Crime Investigation Unit announced that it had arrested 25 members of the organization on charges including participation in a criminal organization and violations of the Act on the Recovery of Damage from Telecommunications-based Financial Fraud. Of these, 21 have been detained and referred to prosecution. Nine individuals, including the ringleader identified as Mr. A, were additionally arrested in Thailand.
According to the police, the ringleader, Mr. A (age 31), is accused of forming a criminal group called "Rungger Company" and stealing approximately 21 billion won (about 16 million dollars) from 878 victims over a one-year period starting around July of last year.
The group is believed to have stolen over 13.1 billion won through 676 romance scam cases, more than 2.1 billion won through 34 cryptocurrency fraud cases, over 5.5 billion won through 156 unlisted stock fraud cases, 100 million won through 9 no-show scams, and 300 million won through 2 cases of impersonating institutions.
The organization consisted of a Chinese national as the ringleader, two headquarters managers, and Korean team members. Notably, before forming the organization in Thailand, Mr. A had worked in a headquarters-level position for a Cambodian organization around July of last year.
They managed their members under strict rules to avoid detection. The organization collected members’ passports at their accommodations, restricted outings and overnight stays, and imposed limits on working hours and mobile phone usage. It was also revealed that members who had conflicts with Mr. A were subjected to assault and injury using weapons.
The police, in cooperation with the International Cooperation Division and police attach?s, worked with the Thai police to apprehend most of the organization’s members. With the ringleader arrested on site, the organization has now been dismantled.
A police official stated, “We believe there may be other offices or organizations in Thailand that Mr. A is operating or connected to. We plan to expand our investigation into how the database used in the crimes was obtained and the flow of criminal proceeds.”
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