Ulsan Police Apprehend Gang for Manufacturing 'Ghost' Bank Accounts

A gang that systematically collected 'ghost' bank accounts for use in crimes such as voice phishing and supplied them to criminal organizations nationwide has been caught and referred to prosecutors. The Ulsan Southern Police Station detained four ringleaders suspected of recruiting and managing the accounts, and sent 200 others, including brokers and account renters, to the prosecution on charges of selling accounts used for fraud.

The group advertised on social media and other platforms, promising to pay between 1 million and 1.5 million won per month in exchange for renting an account. They recruited renters through a multi-level marketing scheme that offered commissions for referring acquaintances. The organization operated by dividing roles: a management team paid the registered holders to maintain account usage, while an operations team collected the ghost accounts and delivered them to a general management team.

Using mobile phone stores in Ulsan as a base, the group opened prepaid mobile phones and installed internet banking apps in the names of the holders. They then shipped the items nationwide via Ulsan express bus baggage services, delivering them to distribution organizations via courier services and a 'dumping method' (where items are left at a designated location) upon arrival. The police confirmed 211 ghost bank accounts.

Police identified 139 people who lent their names, mostly small business owners and housewives in urgent need of cash, the majority of whom were women. The police took pre-indictment asset preservation measures against approximately 470 million won in criminal proceeds obtained by the ringleaders.