South Korea Probe Crypto-Funded Revenge-for-Hire Network

• Dong-A Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, and Kiho Ilbo reported a revenge-for-hire network paid in crypto.
• The group allegedly offers threats, slander, graffiti, and vandalism for set prices.
• Police in Gyeonggi Province are now investigating six suspected cases.

South Korean police are investigating a revenge-for-hire network that allegedly accepts crypto payments for harassment services. Authorities in Gyeonggi Province identified multiple cases, raising concerns about digital assets being used to fund offline intimidation and targeted attacks.

Police Investigate Crypto-Funded Revenge Network

Local south korean media including Dong-A Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, and Kiho Ilbo reported that customers could hire individuals through social media and pay using cryptocurrency.

Police in Gyeonggi Province disclosed three suspected cases in early March. That total has now risen to six. The cases show how crypto continues to serve as a payment rail in criminal activity, even as the industry pushes for broader legitimacy.

Reports outlined a price list for various intimidation tactics. Services allegedly included spreading defamatory leaflets, vandalizing homes, and delivering threats. Some offers also involved damaging property or posting slanderous messages.

Paid Harassment Services Offered for Crypto

The reported price list details several forms of targeted harassment. For about $1,300, attackers would smear human waste on a victim’s front door. For about $325, they would scatter leaflets around a neighborhood accusing a man of being a child sex offender or a woman of being a prostitute.

Other services allegedly include supergluing doors and keyholes, painting slanderous graffiti on homes, and delivering threatening messages. One Korean-language X post seen by reporters said, “We will take revenge on your behalf and settle your grudges,” and directed potential customers to a Telegram handle.

Police say. “We believe a professional organisation is behind these crimes,” a police spokesperson told Kiho Ilbo. “We are conducting a multi-faceted investigation into the matter.”

Police Detain Suspects as Investigation Expands

One victim received a leaflet in a letterbox carrying the message, “I will not leave you alone.” A suspect later told police that he received between $300 and $600 to deliver the threat. In another case, police arrested a man suspected of painting a victim’s front door red, dumping food waste at the entrance, and smearing human faeces on a nearby stairwell.

Police have already detained some people connected to the attacks, but they are still looking for those directing the broader network. Authorities also warn that the methods are becoming more sophisticated as the number of known cases rises.

The reported scheme adds another example to the long list of crimes that use crypto for settlement. South Korean investigators now face a case where digital assets are not tied to hacking or fraud, but to offline intimidation and revenge carried out for hire.

Related: Russia Brings Crypto Under Criminal Code With New Seizure Law