Romance Team Leader Sentenced to Six Years in Prison
An additional 11 members of a voice phishing ring based in Cambodia have been indicted and detained.
On October 17, the Joint Government Investigation Team on Voice Phishing Crimes at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office announced, "We have additionally indicted and detained a total of 11 individuals, including eight call center members and three people who provided bank accounts to the Cambodia-based voice phishing criminal group."
They are accused of working as romance scam operators or of providing bank accounts to the organization known as the "Hanya Call Center," a voice phishing group led by a foreign ringleader nicknamed 'Ma Dong-seok.'
Previously, the joint investigation team indicted 16 individuals who worked for this organization. On the same day, the Seoul Eastern District Court sentenced Seo, a 32-year-old team leader of the romance team, to six years in prison, while four other members of the organization each received prison sentences of at least three years.
The Hanya Call Center was composed of seven teams: the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Team, the Hacking Team, the Webcam Phishing Team, the Romance Team, the Leading Team, the Shopping Mall Team, and the Coin Team.
The joint investigation team stated, "We are continuing to investigate the foreign ringleader residing overseas, the Korean deputy leader, and other members of the organization who are staying abroad."
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