“Went to Thailand to Make Money, Became Criminals”: 27 Members of Phishing Ring That ...

705 Victims... Organized Scams Including Romance Scams Organization Rebuilt Just 10 Days After Arrests... Executives Still Being Tracked

Twenty-seven South Korean members of a voice phishing organization that operated out of Pattaya, Thailand, and committed various scams, including romance scams and impersonating law enforcement, have been indicted for swindling victims out of approximately 15.1 billion won.

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office said on November 10 that its Criminal Division 3, led by Chief Prosecutor Kim Changhee, had arrested and indicted 27 South Korean members, including a 31-year-old identified as A, on charges of joining and operating a criminal organization and violating the Act on the Prevention of Loss Caused by Telecommunications-Based Financial Fraud and Refund of Damage. After arresting and indicting 21 members in September and October 2025, prosecutors brought six more to trial after they were repatriated to South Korea between October and November 2026.

A and the others are accused of swindling 705 victims in South Korea out of a total of 15.093 billion won through various schemes, including romance scams, impersonating law enforcement, and cryptocurrency investment fraud. The alleged crimes took place from January to July 2025 at an office set up in Pattaya, Thailand.

“Longge Company” was a criminal organization formed in January 2025 by a Chinese ringleader known as “Jaryong.” Its name combines “long,” meaning “dragon,” and “ge,” meaning “older brother.” Chinese executives ran the organization, while South Korean members carried out scams targeting victims in South Korea.

Investigators found that the South Korean members traveled to Thailand after being told they could make a lot of money, and then became involved in the crimes. Chinese executives allegedly lured them with promises that they could earn high incomes while living in luxury villas if they worked at a voice phishing call center in Thailand. Once the South Koreans arrived, the executives took away their passports and made them commit fraud. Both police raids were prompted by reports of abuse within the organization.

The organization divided its members into teams based on the type of scam. The romance scam team approached victims while posing as women and offered to send them cryptocurrency, then extorted money under the pretext of a currency exchange fee. The impersonation team told victims that their bank accounts had been implicated in crimes and persuaded them to transfer money. The lottery compensation coin scam team falsely offered to sell cryptocurrency at a low price as compensation for failing to predict winning lottery numbers. The no-show team impersonated soldiers and others, pretended they would visit businesses, and then encouraged the victims to buy goods from a specific company on their behalf.

The organization was rebuilt within just 10 days of an earlier police raid. In June 2025, Thai police raided an office in a pool villa in Pattaya and arrested 20 South Korean members and others. However, executives who escaped recruited new members and set up an office disguised as a rental car company. In August 2025, investigative authorities located the organization’s new base and launched another round of arrests.

A total of 32 South Korean members have been arrested to date. Of these, 27 have been arrested and indicted, while four were transferred to other prosecutors' offices, where decisions on their cases are under review. The remaining member has not yet been repatriated to South Korea. The 21 members indicted earlier received prison sentences ranging from five years and six months to 13 years, and the sentences of 15 have been finalized. Of the four Chinese executives, the ringleader and one headquarters director are serving prison sentences in Thailand. The other two headquarters directors have yet to be caught. The prosecutors' office plans to request the extradition of the executives serving sentences in Thailand and continue tracking down the remaining members. Hot Picks Today "Two Spend 500,000 Won in a Flash, Yet Wait Two Hours?" ... 'Dreamland' Shunned by Kids and Foreign Tourists The Era of Getting 200 Million Won After 30 Years Is Over... A Japanese Bank's "Perpetual Department Head" Who Just Clocked In Cries Out Spain Hit by Its Worst Tragedy... Lee Kangin, Moreno and Real Madrid Join Soccer World in Mourning They Said, “Make It Your for Life” - Then Suddenly Kicked 200 Passengers Off... What Happened to the Around-the-World Cruise? "130 Rice Bowls Sold Out in a Day"... 'Unfiltered Face' Adds 8 Million Won to Night Market Sales: China's Bungeunwoo A spokesperson for the prosecutors' office said, “We will continue to track down members who have not been repatriated, as well as the ringleader and other executives, through international cooperation. We will also continue to do our utmost to protect the public from organized, remote scams that inflict large-scale harm on an unspecified number of people, making active use of international cooperation.”

A total of 32 South Korean members have been arrested to date. Of these, 27 have been arrested and indicted, while four were transferred to other prosecutors' offices, where decisions on their cases are under review. The remaining member has not yet been repatriated to South Korea. The 21 members indicted earlier received prison sentences ranging from five years and six months to 13 years, and the sentences of 15 have been finalized. Of the four Chinese executives, the ringleader and one headquarters director are serving prison sentences in Thailand. The other two headquarters directors have yet to be caught. The prosecutors' office plans to request the extradition of the executives serving sentences in Thailand and continue tracking down the remaining members.

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A spokesperson for the prosecutors' office said, “We will continue to track down members who have not been repatriated, as well as the ringleader and other executives, through international cooperation. We will also continue to do our utmost to protect the public from organized, remote scams that inflict large-scale harm on an unspecified number of people, making active use of international cooperation.”