Crypto-Paid Vandalism Network Uncovered in South Korea
South Korean authorities have arrested multiple suspects in connection with a string of vandalism attacks on residential properties, allegedly paid for by anonymous clients who used Telegram to recruit them.
The investigation suggests that an organized 'private revenge' network is behind the coordinated campaign, with masterminds still at large.
The cases follow a consistent pattern: suspects are contracted anonymously via Telegram, paid in cryptocurrency, and instructed to vandalize targets' homes with waste, graffiti, and defamatory leaflets.
A recent incident occurred on February 22 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where a suspect spread food waste and human feces on an apartment door, graffitied it with red lacquer paint, and scattered defamatory leaflets throughout the building.
The suspect was arrested on February 26 after police traced him to his home in Guri. He claimed he was paid approximately $556 in cryptocurrency via a Telegram advertisement that was deleted immediately after the deal was made.