Blog Details

South Korean authorities procure arrested 12 individuals of a refined felony group that targeted filthy rich other folks by spirited them on in a international nation golf journeys, then scammed them out of roughly $850,000 through rigged casino games and extortion schemes.

Identified simplest as “Mr. A” by the Gyeonggi Southern Police Company’s International Crime Investigation Unit, the suspect, 60 years of age, is the leader of the team. Gyeonggi police described the crimes committed by Mr. A’s group as a traditional instance of a “setup crime,” whereby innocent other folks are framed as criminals to extort money.

All around the investigation, authorities uncovered links to a casino insider who assisted in accomplishing the scam, alongside side the utilize of GPS monitoring to video display and manipulate the victims. One suspect, a South Korean national believed to be in sign of coordinating operations in a foreign country, is aloof at super. His passport has been revoked, and an Interpol Crimson Ogle has been issued to lend a hand in his extradition to South Korea.

Authorities warned that crimes of this nature would possibly maybe well be especially efficient on yarn of victims continually anguish lawful repercussions, which discourages them from coming forward. They emphasised that stressful money under the specter of felony prosecution constitutes extortion and entreated ability victims now not to conform, but to file such incidents straight.

The event follows attempts from the South Korean govt to set extra rigidity on the illegal playing sector. One such case came about unbiased correct a couple of weeks ago when South Korean authorities finalized an investigation into six local price gateway companies, which now stand accused of getting aided illegal playing transactions. 

How the Intention Worked

Fixed with investigators, the draw began in November 2022 when Mr. A befriended a grimy rich businessman for the length of a golf networking event. Court documents level to that Mr. A secretly placed a GPS tracker on the businessman’s vehicle.

He later advised the unsuspecting sufferer that he had acquired an all-prices-paid golf time out to Thailand as share of a “hole-in-one celebration.” Once in Thailand, the team conducted golf with the sufferer while pressuring him to procure interplay in sexual train with a intercourse worker. Later, they claimed the girl was as soon as underage and demanded KRW 240 million (approximately $172,000) to resolve the anguish, in step with police.

Between mid-2023 and mid-2024, the team is believed to procure targeted at the least 5 additional filthy rich other folks, all of whom had been approached at golf riding ranges. As in old circumstances, the victims had been enticed with offers of extraordinary golf journeys, this time to Cambodia, where they had been impressed to gamble at casinos operating rigged games. Fixed with police, individuals of the syndicate, working with obnoxious casino crew, ensured the victims suffered heavy financial losses.

In a single occasion, the team staged a fraudulent kidnapping, convincing a sufferer to pay after being advised their companion was as soon as being held against their will at the casino. The draw resulted in a single price of KRW 680 million (approximately $490,000).

Altogether, the team is accused of extorting virtually KRW 1.19 billion, or round $850,000, from their victims.