jasdooit

Cambodian authorities announced on the 16th that they intend to expel 59 South Koreans who were arrested due to suspicions of participating in online fraud within the nation. The expulsion is set for the next day, the 17th. In a statement, Cambodian police mentioned, “Working together with the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia, we intend to return South Koreans who have been rescued by Cambodian authorities or detained for other offenses back to their native country.”

The South Korean government initially reported that approximately 60 detainees were held at the Cambodian Immigration Bureau. Two of them had already been sent back to their home country on the 14th through a national airline. There is a difference in the numbers between the 59 people identified for deportation by Cambodian authorities and those listed by the South Korean government, so final procedures to verify identities and figures between both governments are still in progress. The government plans to repatriate all individuals by the weekend by arranging flights.

Local judicial bodies, immigration agencies, and the embassy will jointly handle identity checks and flight arrangements. Upon entering the country, prosecutors, police, and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) will conduct investigations on those being repatriated.

Meanwhile, a large number of “no-show scam” incidents, in which fraudsters pose as the president, military units, celebrities, and others in South Korea to create fake restaurant reservations and then steal money by having restaurant owners buy alcohol and food items through a third-party associate, have been discovered to be orchestrated by criminal groups located in Cambodia. According to data provided by the Korean National Police Agency to Democratic Party of Korea legislator Yoon Geon-young, there were 4,506 cases nationwide and losses totaling 73.7 billion South Korean won from January to September this year. The no-show scam is a new form of deception where offenders impersonate major corporations, celebrities, and other entities to defraud self-employed individuals. The offender orders food while instructing the self-employed person to purchase alcohol and food supplies through a third-party accomplice. Once the self-employed individual transfers the money to the business, both the offender and the business vanish. However, according to local authorities and expatriates, this technique was popularized by voice phishing organizations based in Cambodia.