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Authorities arrest ringleader and nine members in major compensated dating fraud operation

Published: 02 Sep. 2025, 14:16 Updated: 02 Sep. 2025, 17:13

[JOONGANG ILBO]

A criminal ring that scammed victims out of 9.3 billion won ($6.7 million) through a fake "compensated dating" website has been busted by police.

The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency announced Tuesday that it arrested and detained the group’s ringleader, a 42-year-old man, and a 26-year-old mid-level manager, on charges of fraud. Nine additional members of the group have been referred to prosecutors without detention on the same charges.

Charges of organizing a criminal group were not filed.

Starting in May of last year, during a six-month period, the group allegedly defrauded victims who responded to online advertisements for compensated dating services.

Operating out of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the group created a website featuring sexually suggestive photos of women and content advertising paid escort services. They then promoted the site on social media platforms and lured men to visit.

Once the victims signed up and requested escort services, the scammers demanded various fees under the pretense of membership dues and incremental "security clearance" fees.

Victims transferred amounts ranging from hundreds of thousands of won to several hundred million won, but were reluctant to report the scam to police due to the nature of the service being sought. This made it difficult for investigators to identify additional victims.

Police launched an investigation after receiving a tip that “young people returning from overseas jobs in Cambodia were participating in escort service scams.” Based on this information, officers tracked down and apprehended the ringleader and others.

Authorities said they plan to pursue remaining suspects who are still in Cambodia through international cooperation.

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 JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]