Police apprehend 2 Chinese nationals behind unauthorized mobile payments of KT users
This photo, provided by the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police on Wednesday, shows a Chinese national being apprehended by police for allegedly making unauthorized mobile payments by hacking users of KT. Yonhap
Police have detained two Chinese nationals accused of making unauthorized mobile payments by hacking users of KT, the country's No. 2 mobile carrier, officials said Wednesday.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police said they apprehended two Korean Chinese men, aged 48 and 44, respectively, Tuesday on charges of violating the Information Protection Act and fraud by use of a computer, among others.
The 48-year-old is accused of making small unauthorized mobile payments of KT users by hacking their phones while carrying an illegal micro base station connected to KT's communication network between late August and early this month.
The other suspect in the case, identified as a 44-year-old Korean Chinese national, is charged with cashing the unauthorized payments.
Police apprehended the first suspect at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, upon his arrival in Korea on Tuesday afternoon, before detaining the other suspect in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo district shortly after.
Authorities also secured the unregistered micro base station used in the scheme.
However, police have yet to piece together how the equipment was used to siphon personal information from KT users and make unauthorized purchases.
Both suspects were identified as ethnic Koreans from China who had been working day jobs in the country with legal status. No signs that the two men had worked at KT or other mobile carriers had been found, according to officials.
Police plan to file an arrest warrant for the two suspects as soon as an initial investigation is completed.
A total of 199 cases of unauthorized mobile payments worth 126 million won ($91,449) had been reported as of 6 p.m. Friday, according to a police tally.
The science ministry has separately announced that it detected 278 cases of damage worth about 170 million won on Wednesday.