Ruthless scammers force victim to write 45 pages of fake confessions during terrifying motel isolation
A fake investigation spiraled into a motel nightmare.
Dimly lit motel, plus fraudulent confession notes. Image by Cybernews
Follow us
- Scammers impersonated prosecutors and convinced a South Korean man he faced arrest over identity theft.
- They isolated him in a motel and forced him to write 45 self-reflection letters.
- A malicious phone app let the criminals intercept his calls to regulators and emergency services.
- Police reached him by playing radio transmissions, but scammers had already stolen about $21,000.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
A gang of cybercriminals impersonating prosecutors lured a man in his 30s to a motel room after claiming his identity had been stolen, used in a crime, and that an arrest warrant had been issued against him.
The victim, from the Gyeonggi region in South Korea, took paid leave from October 20th and heeded the advice not to tell anyone about the proceedings. He was also persuaded to check into a motel, rather than undergo a summary investigation in a detention center.
To tighten their control over the victim, the criminals instructed him to buy an additional mobile phone and install a malicious remote-control app. This meant the group could intercept all his communications and any potential cry for help.
In attempting to verify the communication channels, the victim contacted South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service and the 112 emergency hotline, both of which were intercepted and answered by scammers impersonating officials.
During the isolation, the man was ordered to write 45 A4-length self-reflection letters in his phone's notepad over a period of 3 days. The scammers reportedly summoned the man to submit regular submissions for review, and only allowed him breaks for eating and sleeping.
The bandits went one step further still. By offering the victim staged phishing training, they manipulated him into thinking he had to prove he was a legitimate fraud victim.
Under the pretext of investigating suspicious accounts, the scammers persuaded him to take out loans and transfer 31 million won ($21,000). They then sought to extract a further 42 million won ($29,000) through another loan application.
Stay updated with our latest stories and follow us on social media
Be the first to discover new stories, ideas, and updates from our team.
Police played radio transmissions
South Korean police identified the man using information provided by a joint response team dealing with telecommunications fraud. They were able to track the installation of the malicious app, which had suddenly disappeared off the grid.
The officers struggled to get through initially. This was because the victim had been instructed by the scammers not to answer any authentic-looking calls, despite multiple attempts by the police.
One officer finally managed to strike a chord with the victim by playing police radio transmissions, breaking through the psychological control imposed by the criminals without further alarming him.
As the police arrived at the crime scene, they found the victim still awaiting approval for the second loan. In spite of this, it was no longer possible to freeze the first loan, as the $21,000 had already been transferred to the criminals.
Police have not announced any arrests in connection with this particular case, as reported by The Chosun Daily.
