Case danang-korean-deepfake-romance-ringDeepfake fraudSouth Korea
Da Nang police arrest three South Koreans wanted for Cambodia deepfake romance scam ring
Da Nang police arrested three South Koreans under Interpol red notices for a Bavet, Cambodia network that used deepfakes to pose as women and defraud male victims of about $1 million while trafficking recruits.
HighAttack using AIStatus: Under investigationVerified case file
Open in the interactive mapCite this case
- Reported
- Dec 5, 2025
- Location
- South Korea
- Target
- South Korean men targeted online
- Severity
- High
- Triggered by
- Choi Minsu, Choi Jinwoo and Seo Jaeseok (South Korean nationals)
- Actor type
- Criminal
- Reported loss
- $1M
- CVE
- None
What happened
Da Nang police arrested three South Koreans under Interpol red notices for a Bavet, Cambodia network that used deepfakes to pose as women and defraud male victims of about $1 million while trafficking recruits.
Impact: About $1 million defrauded; victims and recruits subjected to passport confiscation and detention in Cambodia
Who triggered it
Actor: Choi Minsu, Choi Jinwoo and Seo Jaeseok (South Korean nationals)
Attribution: Interpol red notices at South Korea's request for fraud, criminal organisation and human trafficking; arrested by Da Nang police with the MPS Department of External Relations
Motive: Financial gain through romance fraud; labour exploitation of trafficked recruits
How it happened
Attack vector: Deepfake personas of women used to approach male victims online; recruits lured with paid travel and forced to memorise scripts in Cambodia
Root cause: Scam compounds in Cambodia operating with trafficked labour and synthetic identities beyond Korean jurisdiction
Timeline
- Network defrauds victims from August to December 2024
- Da Nang police begin investigation after the suspects flee Cambodia
- Suspects handed to South Korean authorities for extradition
Response
Arrests in Vietnam, extradition to South Korea, Interpol coordination
Current status: Under investigation
Sources (open in a new tab)
- Tuoi Tre News news.tuoitre.vn
- Cambodia Daily english.cambodiadaily.com
Cite this case
Da Nang police arrest three South Koreans wanted for Cambodia deepfake romance scam ring. AI Threat Watch, case danang-korean-deepfake-romance-ring, Dec 5, 2025. https://aithreat.io/cases/danang-korean-deepfake-romance-ring/
Permanent link: https://aithreat.io/cases/danang-korean-deepfake-romance-ring/