Romance Scam Victim Lost $125K to Fake U.S. Military ‘Boyfriend’ in Major Seoul Bust

On Tuesday, Seoul law enforcement announced a significant breakthrough in the fight against international fraud: They successfully dismantled a sophisticated romance scam operation that swindled millions.

The criminal network, which posed as U.S. military personnel, UN employees, and international students on social media, was apprehended by police. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Narcotics and International Crime Investigation Division reported the arrest of 12 individuals, including a 44-year-old Russian national identified as the alleged mastermind. Nine suspects, including the mastermind, have been detained pending trial.

The group is accused of defrauding 14 victims of approximately 1.4 billion won ($10.5 million) through 68 separate incidents between January and October. The scammers targeted victims by pretending to be U.S. military personnel, UN workers, and international students needing financial help.

The criminal network operated decentralizedly, with individuals from Nigeria, Angola, and the Philippines involved. The mastermind managed the domestic operations and handled the criminal proceeds, while others coordinated cash withdrawals and logistics. Those directly communicating with victims were believed to be based overseas.

Their tactics included impersonating American students who claimed they needed funds to unfreeze bank accounts and military doctors requesting advance payments for the shipping costs of gold bars, supposedly received as compensation from the UN and Ukraine.

In one case, a 40-year-old victim lost about 165 million won ($120,000) after being convinced to pay customs fees for nonexistent shipments. The scammers posed as overseas shipping personnel, promising reimbursement, but 130 million won ($98,000) was borrowed.

The scammers created elaborate fake profiles with doctored photos and fake backgrounds to add credibility. They targeted male victims while pretending to be women and vice versa. They even set up fraudulent websites to track shipments.

A police spokesperson warned, “These scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, often involving fake websites to validate false information. We urge extreme caution when asked for money by anyone met through social media.”

The police also noted a legal loophole: romance scams are not covered by the Telecommunications Fraud Victim Compensation Act, which prevents the immediate freezing of accounts. Many accounts used in the scams were sold by departing foreign nationals. Authorities advocate for regulatory changes to suspend foreign-owned accounts when visas expire automatically.