Record 35-year sentence sought for voice phishing mastermind

Prosecutors are seeking a 35-year prison sentence for the head of a Korean voice phishing ring based in the Philippines that stole some 10.8 billion won ($8.25 million) from 560 people.

The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office's joint investigation division with the government on voice phishing said Sunday that the 37-year-old head of the phishing ring named "Minjupa" was repatriated to Korea from the Philippines and indicted on Friday.

The prosecution recommended a 35-year prison sentence for the head, the longest-ever sentence for a voice phishing scam case, along with a 2-billion-won fine.

For the 31-year-old deputy chief of the ring, who was detained alongside the head, prosecutors recommended a 27-year prison sentence and a fine of 300 million won.

The longest sentence for a voice phishing case to date was 20 years in prison.

The prosecution said that the head of the ring and his deputy set up an office in Metro Manila in the Philippines and other locations and organized the Minjunpa ring in 2017 to commit voice phishing fraud. The name of the ring was apparently taken from its head's pseudonym.

Between December 2017 and December 2021, the chief and deputy and about 60 ring members comprised of call center employees, domestic withdrawers and currency exchangers deceived some 560 people in Korea by saying they would provide "low-interest loans."

Prosecutors said the voice phishing ring's head is accused of committing fraud and violating the Act on Aggravated Punishment for Specific Economic Crimes and should be strictly punished in accordance with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's intensified crackdown on voice phishing cases.

The head was also charged with violating the Act on Regulation and Punishment of Criminal Proceeds Concealment by transferring the 10.8 billion won from the scam to a hidden account.

The head and his deputy were handed over for trial.

Some 40 other members of the ring were arrested, with 23 found guilty, 13 on trial and four under investigation, the prosecution said. Arrest warrants have been issued for the remaining ring members who are overseas.

Earlier this year, in June, the Seoul Eastern District Court sentenced the leader of another voice phishing scam, who stole from victims some 2.6 billion won, to 20 years in prison.

The Suwon District Court's Ansan branch sentenced the mastermind behind another voice phishing scam in 2016, which caused 5.4 billion won in damages, to 20 years in prison as well.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]