South Korean authorities have dismantled a Korean-run scam operation in Almaty, Kazakhstan, arresting 19 suspected members in cooperation with local authorities, the Korean National Police Agency said Wednesday.
It marked the country’s first crackdown on a Korean scam syndicate operating in Central Asia.
Kazakh authorities, working with Korea’s interagency Transnational Crime Special Response Task Force, raided the ring’s scam office and safe houses in Almaty, arresting 14 South Korean nationals. Authorities in Korea apprehended five other alleged members of the ring.
Police said the operation marked the first time the Korean government had targeted a Korean-run scam center in Central Asia through a joint operation with local authorities.
The suspects arrested in Kazakhstan were repatriated to Korea in stages between July 28 and Wednesday, arriving through Incheon Airport.
According to the task force, the criminal organization initially operated in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, before relocating to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It moved its base to Almaty in April as Cambodian authorities intensified their crackdown on scam operations.
From Kazakhstan, the group allegedly impersonated officials from Korean government agencies, including the Financial Supervisory Service and the prosecution service, while employing so-called self-confinement tactics to psychologically isolate victims and facilitate fraud.
Authorities have identified 16 South Korean people who suffered combined losses of 600 million won ($421,000), though investigators believe the total damage could ultimately reach tens of billions of won as the investigation continues.
The investigation began after the National Police Agency detected signs that Korean scam organizations were expanding beyond Southeast Asia into Kazakhstan. The National Intelligence Service then coordinated with Kazakh authorities to facilitate the joint operation.
Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee and Ministry of Internal Affairs worked closely with Korea’s NIS and National Police Agency throughout the operation, assisting with surveillance, tracking and the eventual repatriation of the suspects.
“The operation confirmed that Korean scam organizations previously based in Cambodia have begun relocating beyond Southeast Asia to third countries,” a government official said. “By arresting the suspects immediately, authorities prevented the organization from establishing a permanent base in Kazakhstan.”
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
