A 20-year-old Russian national was arrested in South Korea on suspicion of organizing the country's largest phone scam network. The individual was apprehended in Busan after a clogged sewage system revealed hundreds of discarded SIM cards. The alleged leader of the group, along with nearly 100 associates, primarily Russian-speaking emigrants and students recruited online, were detained.

The organization is accused of defrauding victims of approximately 1.5 billion won (about $1.1 million) in proven cases. The investigation suggests the 20-year-old established a structure involving recruiters, operators, couriers, and connections with Chinese criminal elements. The group allegedly imported SIM boxes, devices used for spam and scam calls, into South Korea, disguised as household appliances or hard drives at customs. Local South Korean citizens were detained for providing SIM cards.