Many foreigners are recruited, often through messaging apps offering easy part-time pay, to withdraw cash or move money for what turns out to be a voice-phishing (보이스피싱, boiseu-pising) ring. They become a withdrawal agent (인출책, inchul-chaek) or transfer agent (전달책, jeondal-chaek) without realizing the funds are stolen. When the scheme is exposed, they are arrested and questioned as suspects. The good news is that the law cares deeply about what you actually knew, not merely about what you physically did.
The whole battle is about intent
Korean criminal liability for participating in fraud generally requires intent (고의, gou). If you genuinely did not know and could not reasonably have known the money was criminal proceeds, you lack the mental element for the most serious charges. Investigators, however, often infer knowledge from the circumstances — an unusually high fee, instructions to use someone else's account, or pressure to act in cash — so the defense work is to show, with evidence, that you were deceived and treated the work as legitimate.
Two different charges you may face
Prosecutors typically consider one of two theories. The first is aiding fraud (사기방조, sagi-bangjo) under the Criminal Act of Korea (형법, Hyeongbeop), which requires that you knowingly assisted the fraud and carries serious punishment. The second is a violation of the Electronic Financial Transactions Act (전자금융거래법, Jeonja-geumyung-georae-beop), which can apply for handing over or using a bank account or access medium even without full knowledge of the underlying fraud, and is generally treated less severely. The charge that fits your facts dramatically affects the penalty, so steering the case toward the correct theory is central.
What to do if you are accused
- Stop all contact with the person who recruited you, but do not delete your chat history with them.
- Preserve every message, job advertisement, and payment record showing how you were recruited and what you were told.
- Save evidence of the small or normal-looking fee you were promised, which supports that you thought it was legitimate work.
- Do not give a detailed statement to police before consulting a lawyer; an unguarded explanation can be read as admitting knowledge.
- Consult a licensed Korean attorney immediately to organize your deception evidence and frame your status.
Why organizing proof early is decisive
The recruitment chats and advertisements are your strongest evidence that you were a victim of deception, not a willing participant. These can disappear if an account is closed or a channel is deleted, so capturing screenshots and exports early is critical. A clear timeline showing you believed you were doing ordinary work, and acted openly rather than secretively, undercuts the inference of intent that the prosecution needs.
These cases are handled by a licensed Korean attorney, Sangbin Min of Daejin Law Firm, who can assess whether the facts point to no intent, the lighter statutory violation, or the more serious aiding charge, and assemble the proof accordingly. If you have been contacted by police about transferring or withdrawing money, an early consultation can change the trajectory of the case.