Busan police have arrested five people accused of using 4,400 corporate-name SIM cards to obtain and sell verification codes for internet service registrations. Investigators said the group operated from November 2024 to June 2025, transferring 38,550 codes through Telegram and allegedly earning about 320 million won. Three suspects were detained and two were referred to prosecutors without detention on charges including aiding fraud and violating the Telecommunications Business Act.
Police seized 1,253 SIM cards and secured a pretrial preservation order covering 20 million won in suspected criminal proceeds, warning that supplying verification codes can itself become a criminal offense.