South Korean court sentences voice phishing accomplice to two years

A man in his 30s was sentenced to two years in prison by the Uijeongbu District Court for his role in a voice phishing scheme that defrauded victims of approximately 700 million won.

The defendant reportedly joined the criminal organization after seeing an advertisement on a job website promising 300,000 to 400,000 won per day for transferring funds. The organization used tactics such as impersonating card delivery drivers and fraudulent Financial Supervisory Service officials to trick victims into withdrawing cash or checks to avoid alleged criminal investigations.

While the defendant claimed he was unaware of the illegal nature of the work and was merely performing simple delivery tasks, the court rejected this defense. The court cited several factors, including the high pay per transaction (approximately 150,000 won), the lack of a formal employment contract, instructions received exclusively via Telegram, and the defendant's decision to lie to bank employees by claiming the funds were for clothing trade payments.