Police in Phu Tho province uncovered the transnational group and stopped preparations for what the Ministry of Public Security described as a major high-tech fraud hub in Vietnam.The four arrested included one Chinese national and three Vietnamese citizens, according to a ministry statement.

Investigators said the group had rented several resorts, farmstays and villas in Hanoi, Lao Cai and Phu Tho to accommodate dozens of people involved in the planned operation. Many of those recruited had previously worked at scam centres in Cambodia, police said.

Authorities seized dozens of computers, hundreds of mobile phones and internet equipment during the raid, saying the facility was close to becoming operational.The Ministry of Public Security said the intervention prevented the establishment of a large-scale transnational fraud operation and helped protect national security and public assets.

Online scam networks have expanded across Southeast Asia, with criminal groups frequently moving personnel, funds and technology across borders to operate fraudulent schemes.At a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, FBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey described scam compounds as among the major global threats, saying their impact in Southeast Asia was increasing rapidly.

Bailey said such operations were managed by sophisticated international networks that exploit weak governance structures and emerging technologies to expand their reach.Amnesty International said in a report on Monday that dozens of suspected global scam compounds in Cambodia remained active despite a months-long crackdown by authorities.

The 40-year-old suspect is alleged to have headed a hacking organization operating from overseas bases, including Thailand, that targeted websites of low-cost mobile carriers and other companies between August 2023 and April 2025, according to a statement from South Korea’s Justice Ministry.

The suspect was arrested in Bangkok during an Interpol-coordinated operation and transferred to South Korea through cooperation between Thai authorities and Seoul’s National Police Agency. He arrived at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday, officials said.

Investigators allege the group used illegally acquired personal data to infiltrate financial and cryptocurrency accounts before making unauthorized withdrawals from victims.

South Korean media reports said the alleged victims included celebrities, senior business executives and startup founders. Jungkook, a member of global K-pop group BTS, was among those reportedly targeted.

According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper, Jungkook’s securities account identity was allegedly compromised and shares in HYBE valued at 8.4 billion won ($5.6 million) were transferred without authorization.

The report said the singer avoided financial losses after payment suspension measures were implemented immediately.

South Korean authorities said an alleged accomplice, a 36-year-old Chinese national arrested in Thailand in May 2025, had already been extradited to South Korea in August last year and was indicted the following month. Court proceedings against him remain ongoing.

South Korean prosecutors and investigators traveled to Thailand in July 2025 for meetings with Thai police and prosecutors as part of the cross-border investigation, according to officials.

The case highlights growing regional cooperation among Asian law enforcement agencies against cybercrime networks that increasingly operate across jurisdictions and target digital financial systems, cryptocurrency holdings and personal data infrastructures.