Suspected scammers phoned police officer from an illegal call center, say police
In what appears to be a spectacular own goal, a group of South Korean Bitcoin mining scammers targeted a police detective with a “high-yield investment crypto scam.”
Per the newspaper Hankyoreh, the suspected scammers’ gaffe began in April this year when a member of their illegal “call center” called a detective from the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency’s Mobile Criminal Investigation Unit.
S Korean Bitcoin Mining Scammers’ Own Goal
After realizing that scammers were the source of the call, the detective pretended to be duped by the Bitcoin (BTC)-themed “scam.”
In response, he provided the “call center” worker with his bank account number and other details, claiming that he “would invest.”
After that, police were able to track down a trail of information that ultimately led to their raid on the group’s “headquarters” in Incheon.
81 people were taken into custody by the police, including a group of individuals they believe purchased compromised personal information. “Fake” SIM cards are also thought to have been used by the group to spread the “scam.”
On November 6, the Criminal Mobile Unit reported that nine individuals had been taken into custody. Among them is the group’s alleged “ringleader.”
The “ringleader” was arrested by police on suspicion of breaking the Specific Economic Crimes Punishment Act. Seven more people were arrested on related charges but were later freed on bond.
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense website went down Tuesday afternoon after suffering potential cyberattacks.https://t.co/Ddum3viJG4
— The Korea Herald 코리아헤럴드 (@TheKoreaHerald) November 6, 2024
Four more were taken into custody on suspicion of “supplying fake SIM cards in the names of non-Koreans.” Although they were not arrested, another 27 people were indicted on related charges.
Additionally, 33 people were taken into custody for breaking laws protecting personal information.
According to reports, the police have identified the suspected ringleader as “K” who defrauded 50 people by promising them “big profits” if they pooled their money.
The group purportedly asserted that this would enable the company to lease Bitcoin mining equipment in order to produce “guaranteed” profits.
🚀 South Korea’s cryptocurrency investor population has surged to new heights, reaching 7.78 million in the first half of 2024.#SouthKorea #Adoptionhttps://t.co/BuBfAecHAM
— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) October 31, 2024
‘Free Trial’
According to police, the group sought to gain the trust of its victims by first giving them “dividends” of slightly more than $7 during a “free trial period.”
The victims each turned over between $2,143 and $214,200, demonstrating the effectiveness of this tactic. According to police, the group raised more than $1.6 million.
According to a police spokesperson, the group established its “call center” along with other “offices” in October of last year.
The group also used “fake phones, fake [bank] accounts, and leaked personal information,” according to the officers. They also contacted possible victims using 1.980 “fake” SIM cards in total.
“Please be careful of investment solicitations from people who promise profits via ‘free trials.’ Please also be mindful of people who guarantee high profits without requiring any special effort on your behalf. These are very likely to be scams.”Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency spokesperson