South Korean police charge man with using social media data leak to steal crypto, Forkast says

South Korean police said earlier this week that they had arrested a man in his 30s on fraud charges involving the theft of about $658,000 in cryptocurrencies through personal data leaked on a social media platform called Naver Band, Forkast reported.

The victims’ personal data, including crypto exchange account information, was said to be mistakenly exposed by an administrator on the social media platform.

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About 90 people had crypto taken between January and May, the report said, with one victim claiming to have lost more than $400,000.

Criminal cases involving cryptocurrencies in South Korea have been increasing, according to police, with victims numbering 8,891 in 2021, up from 388 in 2018, the report said.

About Author

Mike Millard has worked as an editor for Bloomberg and Reuters, various newspapers and websites. He lived in Asia for more than two decades and now calls the Greek island of Corfu home. He is the author of three books.