Specialization and division of labor in crime stages…even local gang members are exposed to involvement
Co-offenders continue criminal activities even after the arrest of organization members…institutional loopholes also identified,
A distribution organization that specialized in supplying fake bankbooks and SIM cards to voice phishing criminal organizations was caught. (Provided by Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office),
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, ‘(Seoul=News1) Reporter Park Hye-yeon = Domestic distribution organizations that supplied fake bankbooks and SIM cards in large quantities to voice phishing organizations have been caught by prosecutors.’,
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, ‘The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office’s joint investigation team on voice phishing crimes (headed by Kim Soo-min) announced on the 13th that they have arrested and prosecuted a total of 22 people, including top officials and members of five large distribution organizations that were caught from November last year to April this year on charges of fraud and violation of the Electronic Financial Transactions Act.’,
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, ‘Fake bankbooks and SIM cards are essential tools not only for voice phishing call center organizations to evade investigation but also for new types of fraud such as leading room investment scams and romance scams.’,
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, ‘The joint task force, established in July 2022, has been focusing on tracking fake bankbooks and SIM cards based on voice phishing investigation databases, collaborating with specialized personnel from financial supervisory agencies, the Korea Communications Commission, and other organizations.’,
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, ‘According to the task force, the distribution organizations divided roles such as the general manager, recruitment manager, account opening manager, and distribution manager, and even prepared manuals in preparation for investigations, systematically carrying out criminal activities. When the identity provider is apprehended by law enforcement agencies, they disguise one-time offenses such as loans or high-paying part-time jobs.’,
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, ‘Previously, voice phishing criminal organizations oversaw the entire process from deception to profit acquisition by equipping all human and material resources necessary for the crime, but recent voice phishing crimes require specialized, division-of-labor organizations that collaborate according to needs.’,
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, “It was confirmed that some distribution organizations were operated by organization members who had a presence in local areas. A distribution organization operated by two members of the Cheongju ‘Srasonympha’ organization and one member of the Daejeon ‘Gumiju-pa’ organization recruited nominal owners through false loan advertisements, opened over 180 prepaid SIM cards, and supplied them to voice phishing organizations.”,
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, ‘In Songpa-gu, Seoul, people in their 20s systematically established 12 shell companies and supplied around 60 fake bankbooks to voice phishing organizations. They distributed fake bankbooks using motorcycle delivery drivers.’,
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, ‘Even after key members of the shell companies used in the criminal activities were arrested during the investigation, accomplices changed the principals, opened new fake bank accounts, and resumed distribution.’,
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, ‘To prevent further crimes, the task force requested dissolution orders for 38 shell companies in 16 local courts nationwide and received dissolution decisions in January.’,
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, ‘Additionally, institutional loopholes were identified that allowed for obtaining approval to distribute SIM cards remotely without a physical location through authorization from a discount telecommunications company. As a result, last month, the task force, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Association of Information and Telecommunications, and telecommunication companies such as SKT, KT, and LGU+ gathered to discuss ways to improve the system.’,