No Children but Threatened with 'Child Confinement' in Voice Phishing Collection Scheme... Ultimately Arrested

Voice phishing illustration. Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] A voice phishing collector who threatened a person without young children by claiming to be holding their children captive and played the sound of a crying child over the phone was arrested and detained.

According to the legal community on the 24th, Han Hyun-hee, the duty judge at the Seoul Southern District Court, held a pre-arrest detention hearing for A (40), who is suspected of attempted fraud, and issued an arrest warrant requested by the police, stating "there is a risk of flight and evidence destruction." On the 22nd at around 1:45 PM, A called B, a person in their 60s, and said, "I am holding your child captive due to debt; send 50 million won in cash to save them." It is known that the sound of a crying child was actually heard over the phone.

B, who was known not to have young children, worried about the possibility of a kidnapping incident and went to a nearby police substation. The police judged the call as phone financial fraud, blocked radio sounds from the substation, and then guided B to arrange a meeting with A through whispers and notes.

At around 3:30 PM on the same day, A was arrested by undercover police officers as he tried to receive a shopping bag containing cash from B in front of a building in Yangcheon-gu.

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