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13 arrested for allegedly stealing over 12 billion won as part of Korea's largest 'smishing' ring

Published: 26 Nov. 2025, 17:04

Phones, forged IDs and criminal proceeds seized by police from a smishing ring are pictured in this photo provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

Police have arrested 13 people accused of stealing more than 12 billion won ($8.2 million) from over 1,000 victims by disguising malicious links as wedding invitations and municipal notices, in what they say is the country’s largest "smishing" ring — a term used for text message fraud.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on Wednesday it arrested a Chinese national, the group’s ringleader, along with 12 others who targeted Korean users between July 2023 and June this year.

Police said two alleged masterminds who directed the operation from Shanghai, China, are now the subject of Interpol red notices.

The group collapsed after police arrested its Korea-based head and several key members tied to an organization run from overseas, according to an official.

The group is accused of sending text messages that appeared to contain everyday notices, including “You are invited to the wedding of Choi’s child” and “Fine notice for improper food-waste separation.” The links looked like venue details or official documents but instead installed malware on victims’ phones.

Lee Myung-cheol, an officer of the cyber investigation unit at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, briefs reporters on the arrest of the country’s largest smishing ring at the agency’s headquarters in Seoul on Nov. 26. [YONHAP]

Police said the suspects used the stolen data to activate new SIM cards under victims’ names, forge identification documents and access bank and cryptocurrency accounts to transfer funds. More than 80 percent of those identified as victims were aged 50 or older.

Officers traced phones activated in victims’ names and located several members operating out of a parking lot at an outlet mall in the greater Seoul area. Police arrested them at the scene and seized dozens of phones and 45 million won in cash.

Investigators said they also linked around 900 previously unsolved smishing cases nationwide to the same group.

Police said they shared authentication vulnerabilities found during the probe with two telecom operators and two financial institutions.

“Even if a text message appears to be a wedding or funeral notice from someone you know, you should never click the URL and instead confirm [the sender] by phone,” a police official said, adding that “middle-aged and older users, who tend to be less familiar with digital security, were heavily affected and need to take particular care.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY IM SOUNG-BIN [[email protected]]