South Korean authorities are seeking arrest warrants for most of the 64 nationals recently repatriated from Cambodia over allegations of involvement in online scam operations, police said Monday.
The 64 individuals had been detained in Cambodia over recent months for allegedly working in online fraud syndicates and were flown back to Seoul on a chartered flight Saturday. Upon arrival, they were taken into custody for questioning to determine whether they had voluntarily joined the scam networks or were coerced into working there.
According to the Korean National Police Agency, state prosecutors have requested arrest warrants for 58 of the returnees. They are accused of carrying out various forms of cyber fraud — including romance scams, fake investment pitches and voice phishing — primarily targeting South Koreans. Courts are expected to decide on the warrants in the coming days.
Police said five of the 64 have been released but declined to disclose details, citing ongoing investigations. Four of the returnees told investigators they had been beaten and forced to work in scam centers in Cambodia.
The surge in online scam operations, many based in Southeast Asia, has created two major victim groups — those coerced into working in scam centers under threat of violence and the individuals defrauded by such operations. International monitoring groups estimate that criminal syndicates earn billions of dollars annually from these scams.
Public calls for stronger government action intensified after a 22-year-old South Korean student was found dead in Cambodia in August. Authorities said he was lured by a friend into providing his bank account to a scam ring and was later tortured to death.
The United Nations and other agencies estimate that more than 100,000 people have been trafficked into scam centers in Cambodia, with similar numbers in Myanmar and tens of thousands elsewhere. Seoul officials believe around 1,000 South Koreans remain trapped in such centers in Cambodia.
Last week, South Korea imposed a travel ban on certain Cambodian regions and sent a government delegation to Phnom Penh to coordinate efforts against human trafficking and online fraud.
Interpol recently reported that scam networks have expanded beyond Southeast Asia to regions including the Middle East, West Africa and Central America, with victims now being trafficked from as far as South America and Western Europe.
Source: AP