South Korean ‘OTC Crypto Scammers’ Arrested After ‘Fleeing with $747,000 in Cash’

by Brock Lang

South Korean ‘OTC Crypto Scammers’ Arrested After ‘Fleeing with $747,000 in Cash’

South Korean ‘OTC Crypto Scammers’ Arrested After ‘Fleeing with $747,000 in Cash’

Six suspected OTC crypto scammers had been arrested in Incheon, South Korea, police in the city confirmed on February 20.

Per Newsis, officers stated the suspects had been all feeble between 20 and 39. Police reflect they stole $747,000 in cash as segment of a bogus over-the-counter (OTC) substitute.

OTC Crypto Thefts on the Upward thrust in South Korea?


Police train the incident took space in the Songnim District of Jap Incheon at spherical 4 pm on February 19.

An unnamed victim stated they’d arranged to swap about $747,000 for crypto. The victim stated that they’d agreed on a decrease-designate deal for the coins with vendors they presumably contacted by job of social media channels.

Nonetheless, the vendors reportedly arrived at a gathering point, took the victim’s cash, and counted the cash in their van.

Once they’d carried out counting, the suspects reportedly “pushed” the victim out of their vehicle and sped off.

The alleged victim filed a police document, and officers stated they ragged CCTV footage to title the vehicle, its owner, and the remainder of the neighborhood.

Buildings in Incheon’s Songnim District.
Incheon’s Songnim District. (Supply: hyolee2 [CC BY-SA 3.0])

The need of high-price OTC crypto thefts is rock climbing in South Korea. In early January, police officers in the nearby town of Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, arrested a particular person “in his 20s” on theft-linked charges.

Police stated this man equally supplied to sell crypto at a low designate, nonetheless as a substitute made off with $10,700 in cash. The suspect took the cash and drove off in a automobile without transferring any coins.

Police Topic Warning


Talking after the alleged incident in Incheon, a police legitimate told South Korean media retailers:

“We are investigating the specific cases of this crime, including the sources of the funds eager.”

The legitimate added:

“There has been a upward thrust in cases of fraud that have faith enticing folks to sell digital forex at a low designate. Others provide victims the likelihood to win huge earnings by investing in digital forex. We attach a matter to the general public to be notably cautious.”

A graph displaying trading volumes on South Kroea’s Upbit crypto substitute during the last seven days.
Trading volumes on South Korea’s Upbit crypto substitute during the last seven days. (Supply: CoinGecko)

In September 2023, regulators stated that they wanted new powers to police the OTC crypto sector.

Audio system at an match intelligent the Financial Services Commission and the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Reveal of work Digital Asset Crime Joint Investigation Crew claimed home OTC markets had change into “the epicenter of digital forex-linked crimes.”

Regulators claimed the rising list of OTC-linked crypto crimes now includs “fraud and cash laundering.”

Source : cryptonews.com

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