Three South Koreans with red notices arrested in Ho Chi Minh City

Three South Korean nationals, wanted by Interpol on red notices for allegedly faking arrest warrants and impersonating officials to defraud victims, have been apprehended and transferred to South Korean police.

On 30/8, Ho Chi Minh City Police, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security Police Investigation Agency Office, arrested Wang Taesan, 36; Han Joonhee, 34; and Bang Giseong, 29. The three were subsequently handed over to South Korean authorities at Tan Son Nhat International Border Gate.

All three individuals are South Korean nationals. They were subject to an Interpol red notice, issued at the request of South Korean police, on charges of online fraud. Their alleged scheme targeted victims primarily in South Korea.

Wang Taesan (third from left) handed over by Ho Chi Minh City Police to South Korean authorities. *Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Police*

According to the red notice file, the group impersonated prosecutors or other officials. They would call victims, instructing them to access a link to view fake "arrest warrants" and fabricated case documents bearing the victims' names. The suspects then claimed the victims' accounts were involved in criminal activities, demanding money transfers to a designated account for "verification."

Another fraudulent tactic involved threatening victims with the dissemination of sensitive videos they falsely claimed to possess. They demanded money for "resolution," despite having no such videos.

Ho Chi Minh City Police have previously collaborated with the Ministry of Public Security multiple times to apprehend foreign nationals wanted by Interpol. During periods of heightened scrutiny of foreign residents, police have also discovered groups of Chinese nationals renting properties and hotels, assembling personnel, installing internet, and equipping hundreds of phones and computers to prepare for large-scale online fraud operations.