South Korean police break up illegal gambling ring targeting the deaf community.

Following the report from The Chosun Daily, recent arrests were made as a result of a Busan Metropolitan Police operation targeting illegal gambling activities. Authorities investigated suspects linked to a gambling website generating 5.3 billion won, or $3.6 million, between January and May 2024. Although the criminal group ran the site using a U.S.-based server, they had a field office in Nam-gu, Busan. This led to the arrest of 55 individuals. Of these, 52 were identified as habitual gamblers while the remaining three were directly involved in running the site. Some of these gamblers allegedly bet as much as 320 million won, equivalent to $219,000. Interestingly, further investigation revealed that many of these accounts didn't actually gamble and were tied to deaf individuals. It turned out their identities were exploited to create mule accounts. Police tracked down a man in his 40s, known as Mr. A, who was linked to the deaf community and acted as an interpreter. Mr. A acquired around 90 accounts from deaf individuals and sold the info to another person in the ring, referred to as Mr. B, who used them for gambling. In exchange for their account details, these individuals received 200,000 won, about $137, under the false promise that their information would improve their credit scores. A police representative highlighted that this case underscores the exploitation of hearing-impaired individuals through deception and manipulation. The officer also assured continued efforts to dismantle any organizations that violate the law or prey on vulnerable people.