Busan Police Arrest 101 in Phishing Relay Device Scheme

• •101 individuals arrested for operating a phishing relay device scheme in Busan.
• •The operation involved disguising relay devices to convert overseas calls to domestic numbers.
• •19 victims defrauded, with total losses estimated at 1.5 billion Korean won.

On October 20, 2026, the Busan Metropolitan Police arrested 101 individuals involved in a scheme that converted overseas Internet phone calls into domestic mobile numbers to facilitate phishing scams. The operation involved relay devices disguised as hard drives, smuggled into South Korea from various countries, primarily by Russian-speaking foreigners. The police began their investigation after discovering a large number of SIM card fragments in a drain in Busan, which were linked to phishing scams impersonating prosecutors. Among the arrested were 84 South Korean SIM card providers who allegedly opened SIM cards under their names for loans. The group is believed to have defrauded 19 victims, resulting in losses of approximately 1.5 billion Korean won. The police have also seized 400 relay devices, 121 burner phones, and over 5,000 SIM chips during their operation. The investigation is ongoing as authorities track remaining members of the organization.