A key member of a scam ring operated by ethnic Koreans from China was arrested Monday, according to Busan Haeundae police.
The suspect had blackmailed Korean men with videos of them performing lewd acts.
(Yonhap)
Police said the scam group, based in China, had a few of its members enter Korea in November 2015 to for the illicit activity. The members stayed at rented homes on Jejudo Island.
A female member would contact the Korean men over smartphone dating applications and invite them to a video chat where she induced them to perform pornographic acts. She feigned she could not hear their voice and had them download malware, through which she stole private information as well as their personal contact list.
The male members of the group then blackmailed the men, threatening to pass the videos on to their family and friends.
On the sidelines, the group also arranged for fake paid dates with advance payments they took without providing the service, and were found to be involved in countless swindle cases regarding job introductions and loans.
The police said the group together conned a collective 500 million won ($435,000) out of more than 320 people. They exchanged the currency for Chinese yuan and remitted it back to China.
One of the Korea-based members, identified by his last name Yoon, has been arrested, while three others are currently on wanted.
By Lim Jeong-yeo (
kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)
