Voice Phishing by Organized Crime Syndicate in Cambodia: What Members Said in Court

Some Defendants Dispute the Extent of Their Involvement in the Crimes

A group that joined an organized crime syndicate in Cambodia and committed fraud against Koreans, including voice phishing, admitted to the charges in court.

On December 9, the 3rd Criminal Division of the Hongseong Branch of the Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Bohyun) held the first trial for A (age 30) and 45 others who were indicted on charges including membership in a criminal organization and fraud.

From June last year to July this year, A and the others are accused of joining an international voice phishing ring run by B, an ethnic Korean-Chinese ringleader known as "Bugun," and stealing approximately 9.4 billion won from 110 victims through call centers in Cambodia, Thailand, and other locations. They are reported to have committed various types of fraud, including romance scams, impersonating prosecutors, cryptocurrency investment scams, and no-show scams targeting public institutions.

On the 20th of last month, suspects being extradited to Cambodia appeared at the Hongseong Branch of the Daejeon District Court in Hongseong, Chungnam, to undergo a pretrial detention hearing. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Unlike the prosecution’s indictment, some defendants actively denied the charges against them, while others submitted letters of reflection and requested leniency. On this day, some defendants argued, "We did not participate in all the crimes, but only played a limited role." Others denied some charges, stating, "We went abroad looking for jobs and fell victim to employment scams."

The organization led by B consisted of about 200 members and had a hierarchical structure, including the ringleader, sub-ringleaders, managers, senior and junior team leaders, and phishing teams. Roles were divided according to function, such as chatters (luring victims via chat), TMs (telephone lures), killers (inducing victims to transfer funds), and team leaders (training in methods and performance management).

They consistently recruited new members, expanding in a manner similar to a pyramid scheme by paying recruitment bonuses to existing members. They also dispatched members to affiliated organizations in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam to learn new types of criminal methods, further evolving their operations.

With over 40 defendants, most of those who appeared in court were in their 20s or 30s and had been unemployed before traveling to Cambodia. Defendants appeared in groups of four to six, and most were men in their 20s. The majority were apprehended locally in Cambodia and extradited to Korea in October.

The court plans to expedite the proceedings, holding hearings every two weeks, as the detention periods for the suspects are nearing their end and the number of indicted individuals has reached 53.

The next hearing is scheduled for December 23.