"'10.8 Billion Won Romance Scam' Ringleader Caught... Police Reward Officers for Phishing Crime Results"

15 outstanding cases selected... 7 million won in total prize money
Top honors for busting overseas phishing rings, including in Cambodia
More than 60,000 suspicious accounts blocked... prevention efforts also rewarded

Police will recognize cases that have achieved outstanding results in apprehending phishing criminals and preventing victimization, and award prize money.

A Korean couple accused of leading a romance scam operation based in Cambodia that defrauded victims of around 12 billion won are being forcibly repatriated through Incheon International Airport. Yonhap News Agency

The National Investigation Headquarters of the Korean National Police Agency said on Oct. 29 that it had evaluated performance from January through August this year, selected 15 outstanding cases, and would award a total of 50 million won in special achievement awards. The awards are intended to recognize police officers who have achieved exceptional results and help spread best practices.

The Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency's Regional Investigation Division 1, Phishing Team 1, and the Sejong Metropolitan Police Agency's Violent and Drug Crime Investigation Unit were named the top investigative teams. Each is set to receive 7 million won. The two teams uncovered phishing crime organizations operating out of Cambodia, China, Thailand, Laos and other locations.

The Northern Gyeonggi team's Phishing Team 1 arrested 89 people, including the Korean ringleaders of a romance scam organization based in Cambodia that defrauded 243 victims of about 10.8 billion won from April 2024 through September 2025. Of those arrested, 25 were taken into custody. The team was recognized for uncovering the structure of a large-scale organization based overseas and arresting its ringleaders and members, thereby preventing further victimization.

From March 2025 through March 2026, the Sejong unit arrested 11 members of a voice phishing organization that defrauded 68 victims of about 3.1 billion won in China, Thailand, Laos and other countries. Seven were taken into custody. The criminals impersonated credit card companies, courts, prosecutors' offices and the Financial Supervisory Service, deceiving victims into believing they were implicated in crimes and taking their money. The investigative team continues to track down suspects, including by requesting Red Notices for 10 people involved in the case.

Investigative teams that tracked criminal proceeds were also among those recognized. The Data Analysis Division of the Korean National Police Agency's Integrated Response Team for Telecommunications-Based Financial Fraud worked with major messaging companies to block 61,435 accounts suspected of being used for crimes and 9,385 chat rooms, and restrict access to 575 fraudulent websites from October 2025 through August 2026. By analyzing criminal conversations and sending prevention text messages and calling people at risk of being victimized, the team prevented losses of about 2.76 billion won.

In May this year, Team 1 of the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency's Regional Preventive Patrol Unit 1 found an elderly person at risk of falling victim to voice phishing during a foot patrol and stopped a transfer of 3 million won. The team was also recognized for directly meeting with 30 people, including victims of malicious applications, over the eight months from January this year and preventing losses of about 540 million won.

According to the Korean National Police Agency, 9,333 voice phishing cases were reported from January through September this year, down 50.2% from the same period last year. Losses totaled 419.6 billion won, a 57.5% decrease. The police plan to step up efforts to track down and apprehend phishing organizations based overseas and continue a coordinated response with relevant agencies, from blocking methods used to commit crimes to preventing and remedying victimization.

Hong Seok-gi, head of the National Investigation Headquarters, said, "We will continue to actively identify and reward police officers who achieve exceptional results in protecting the public's hard-earned assets," adding, "We will maintain a whole-of-government effort encompassing both apprehension and prevention."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.