KOREANS VICTIMIZED BY ROMANCE SCAMMERS

[Anchor Lead]

Non-contact scams are becoming more and more sophisticated. The so-called 'Romance Scams’ involving defrauding people after gaining trust via social media are on the rise. Police apprehended a group of scammers in Korea who pretended to be soldiers or doctors dispatched in Ukraine, and it was found that around 30 people fell victim to their scam, losing 3.7 billion won in total.

[Pkg]

A woman known as A came to befriend a foreigner known as B via social media. B introduced himself as an American soldier sent to fight in Ukraine. After they grew closer, he started making personal requests. He claimed that he couldn't send money to his daughters, because there is no bank on the combat field. He said that he would send some cash in a package and asked her to keep it until he came to claim it. But then he started asking for money for various incidentals, such as special delivery and document issuance. A wanted to help and sent him twenty-seven million won. But that was when he fell out of touch. She later found out that he was a member of an international fraud ring based in west Africa. This so-called romance scam involves defrauding people after gaining their trust via social media. Money mules, the people who withdraw money for the scammers, are scattered all over the world. Police recently arrested 12 such scammers who were in Korea and jailed six. They approached victims, pretending to be a soldier, a doctor or a UN employee with convincing sob stories. Most of the victims were middle-aged.

[Soundbite] (Romance Scam victims group official (VOICE MODIFIED)) : "They defraud people through online chat apps. Victims are more likely to be conned because they engage in emotional conversations and become attached."

So far, there are 31 victims, who lost 3.7 billion won in total. Individually, they gave between one million and 600 million won.

[Soundbite] Kim Ki-beom(Seoul Metropolitan Police) : "When someone you befriended on social media asks for money, tell your acquaintances or call the police to make sure that you're not being conned."

The police are tracking the con man in charge and impostors located overseas.