Investigated in Korea Over Voice Phishing: Couriers, Withdrawers and Bank Accounts
Many foreign residents are drawn into voice-phishing cases without realising it: a “part-time job” collecting or delivering cash, or a fee for lending out a bank account, debit card or OTP. “I did not know it was fraud” is the most common account, and it is also the one that has to be handled most carefully from the very first interview.
Voice-phishing organisations rely on recruits who never meet the people running the operation. The recruit is told to withdraw cash, hand over a bank card, meet someone to collect an envelope, or simply open an account and pass on the details. The job is often offered through a messenger chat or a social-media post, and the pay looks high for the work involved.
When the police contact a foreign national in these cases, the question they are testing is what the person knew or should have realised. Attorney Doyun Lee, a KBA-certified criminal law specialist, consults with foreign clients directly in English and reviews the record with you before any interview.
The two common routes into a case
The first is a role in the money chain: collecting cash from victims (often called a collector or courier), delivering it onward, or withdrawing funds from accounts and handing them over. These roles are investigated as taking part in the fraud itself, not as a side matter.
The second is transferring access to an account: selling or lending a bank account, debit card, passbook or OTP device, or giving out online banking credentials. The Act on Electronic Financial Transactions (art. 6) restricts handing over these “access media”, and an account that was only lent out can still end up as the account that received a victim’s money.
Why “I did not know” must be handled carefully
Many people in these cases truly believed the work was legitimate. But an investigator will not accept that statement on its own. The question becomes whether, on what you were told and what you saw, you should have realised something was wrong: an unusually high fee for simple work, instructions to withdraw in small amounts or at several machines, being told to avoid questions from bank staff, or being asked to hand over cash to a stranger.
This is why the first interview matters so much. A short answer given from memory, in a language you do not read well, can be written down in a way that sounds either evasive or like an admission. Neither helps. Get advice on what the record shows before you explain, and ask for the Korean statement to be interpreted back to you before signing.
Phones, messages and evidence
These cases are built largely from phones and records: the recruiting chat, the instructions you received, call logs, bank and ATM records, CCTV from withdrawals and the movement of money through accounts. Your own messages may show how the job was described to you, and that can matter in either direction.
Do not delete chats, apps or accounts after you learn of the investigation, and do not discuss the case with the recruiter or anyone else by messenger. Deleted data is often recoverable, and deleting it can look like destroying evidence. Leave the phone as it is and get advice before the interview.
Frozen accounts and your own money
When an account is reported as used for fraud, it can be frozen, and accounts linked to the person can be affected too. Many foreign residents first learn of the case when their own card stops working or their salary account is blocked. A freeze has its own procedure, and it is separate from the criminal case, so it needs to be dealt with alongside it.
Detention risk
Voice-phishing cases are treated seriously, and the risk of detention should be assessed early, particularly where several victims, large amounts or a repeated role are involved. Whether detention is sought depends on the allegation, the evidence, your ties to Korea and the assessed risk of flight or of destroying evidence. A summons for questioning does not by itself mean arrest.
As a general rule, within 48 hours of an arrest the authorities must either apply to a court for a detention warrant or release the person. If a warrant is sought, the pre-detention hearing is the key early moment.
Victim settlement
Repaying or reaching a settlement with victims can be an important factor in how a case is assessed, but it has to be done properly. Contact with victims should not be made directly or through friends, because well-meant contact can later be read as pressure. A settlement is usually arranged through a lawyer, with proper records, and it does not by itself decide the outcome.
Immigration consequences
For a foreign national, a fraud-related case can affect the right to stay in Korea, and an exit ban can restrict travel while the case is open. The criminal result and the immigration decision run on separate tracks, so both need to be considered from the start. See the guide on how a criminal case can affect your visa, and the exit ban guide, linked below.
Representation and fees
The legal fees page sets out the published fee schedule. Urgent and detention cases start from KRW 11,000,000, depending on the case. Detention-centre and police-station visits and on-site attendance are provided only after a formal retainer is signed, not on a consultation basis. Consultation and review fees are credited against the retainer if you retain us.
Real results in similar cases
Results reflect individual cases and do not guarantee the outcome of any similar matter.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
I took a “part-time job” collecting cash and now the police want to question me. What should I do?
Do not give a statement from memory and do not delete anything. Keep the recruiting messages, the instructions you were given and your own bank records, and get advice before the interview. How the job was described to you and what you did are the points the record will be read against.
I only lent my bank account or card to someone. Is that really a criminal matter?
It can be. Handing over an account, card or OTP to another person is restricted under the Act on Electronic Financial Transactions (art. 6), and the account may have received a victim’s money. Whether and how a case proceeds depends on the facts, so have the record reviewed before you explain.
What if I truly did not know it was fraud?
That is a common account, but an investigator will test it against what you were told and what you saw. It has to be presented carefully and consistently from the first interview. Do not rely on a short, general denial.
My bank account has been frozen. Is that connected?
It may be. Accounts reported as used in fraud, and sometimes linked accounts, can be frozen. The freeze has its own procedure and runs alongside the criminal case, so it should be dealt with together.
Can I be detained in a voice-phishing case?
It is possible, and the risk should be assessed early. A summons by itself is not an arrest. As a general rule, within 48 hours of an arrest the authorities must apply to a court for a detention warrant or release the person.
Will this affect my visa?
It can. The criminal outcome and the immigration decision are separate, so both should be considered from the start. An exit ban can also restrict travel while the case is open.
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Advertising Attorney: Doyun Lee, KBA-certified criminal law specialist, Newlawyer Law Office. This page is general legal information and does not guarantee any specific result.