South Korea to Try Three Suspects from Thailand-Based Fraud Ring on November 19
Three Koreans accused of participating in a Thailand-based voice-phishing and blackmail network will face court after joint Thailand-South Korea crackdown.
The Seoul Southern District Court has scheduled the first hearing for three South Korean nationals on November 19. They stand accused of roles in an international criminal ring operating in Thailand, involving voice phishing, blackmail and violence.
The suspects were allegedly part of a larger network based in Thailand, led by a Chinese national and composed of Korean and Chinese operatives.
According to prosecution filings, the trio are therefore indicted for involvement in more than 1,400 crimes carried out between April and June of this year, targeting 206 South Korean nationals, and exploiting more than 870 victims in total.
Documents released by Representative Park Eun-jung of the Rebuilding Korea Party show the defendants also allegedly abused members of their own organisation who attempted to escape, including a lower-level recruit who reported that the group threatened to cut off his finger and sell him to China unless he and his parents paid 25 million won (roughly US$17,500).
The parents reportedly paid 9 million won before contacting the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which led to cooperation with Thai police.
The larger operation was exposed in September when the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, in coordination with Thai authorities, arrested dozens of ring members in Thailand and South Korea.
In that earlier operation, Korean and Thai police detected the group’s multiple scam types including romance fraud, impersonation of public agencies and bogus investment schemes.
Investigators say the group operated like a criminal enterprise, recruiting members, confiscating passports, restricting movement and administering violence.
With the court hearing now set, South Korean prosecutors intend to press charges including forming a criminal organisation, committing fraud, and violating laws governing electronic financial transactions.
Meanwhile Thai law-enforcement agencies have stepped up cross-border cooperation to target scam operations that exploit both victims and coerced workers.
The case underlines the growing reach of transnational organised fraud and the necessity of multi-national enforcement in response.
The suspects were allegedly part of a larger network based in Thailand, led by a Chinese national and composed of Korean and Chinese operatives.
According to prosecution filings, the trio are therefore indicted for involvement in more than 1,400 crimes carried out between April and June of this year, targeting 206 South Korean nationals, and exploiting more than 870 victims in total.
Documents released by Representative Park Eun-jung of the Rebuilding Korea Party show the defendants also allegedly abused members of their own organisation who attempted to escape, including a lower-level recruit who reported that the group threatened to cut off his finger and sell him to China unless he and his parents paid 25 million won (roughly US$17,500).
The parents reportedly paid 9 million won before contacting the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which led to cooperation with Thai police.
The larger operation was exposed in September when the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, in coordination with Thai authorities, arrested dozens of ring members in Thailand and South Korea.
In that earlier operation, Korean and Thai police detected the group’s multiple scam types including romance fraud, impersonation of public agencies and bogus investment schemes.
Investigators say the group operated like a criminal enterprise, recruiting members, confiscating passports, restricting movement and administering violence.
With the court hearing now set, South Korean prosecutors intend to press charges including forming a criminal organisation, committing fraud, and violating laws governing electronic financial transactions.
Meanwhile Thai law-enforcement agencies have stepped up cross-border cooperation to target scam operations that exploit both victims and coerced workers.
The case underlines the growing reach of transnational organised fraud and the necessity of multi-national enforcement in response.
