- The police reported a Telegram group that ordered acts of intimidation and vandalism.
- Executors received payments in cryptocurrency ranging from $337 to $675 for each attack.
- Methods included threats, leaflets, and the scattering of human waste.
In South Korea, law enforcement has uncovered an organized network that coordinated so-called “private acts of revenge” involving intimidation and vandalism through the messaging app Telegram. According to the police, group members received between 500,000 and 1,000,000 South Korean won (approximately $337–$675) in cryptocurrency for each executed attack, which included threats, the distribution of defamatory leaflets, and the scattering of human waste near the victims’ homes.
This is reported by Business • Media
“For executing the attacks, the suspects received between 500,000 and 1,000,000 South Korean won (approximately $337–$675). At the same time, some of the detainees claim they did not know who was behind the payments.”
At the end of February 2026, the police arrested two suspects who were charged with damaging the entrance doors of residential buildings, distributing threatening leaflets, and scattering feces.
Telegram group and methods of influencing victims
The investigation established that the group distributed tasks to executors via Telegram. One of the detainees, a man in his twenties, scattered food and human waste at the victim’s door in the city of Suwon, located near Seoul. Law enforcement is convinced that all participants acted according to the instructions of the organizers, who remain unknown. The police continue to search for the organizers of this criminal network.
Investigators are also determining whether these incidents are related to events on December 7, 2025, when three executors were already rewarded in cryptocurrency for acts of vandalism and the distribution of defamatory leaflets.
Spread of crimes using cryptocurrency
Similar cases are occurring against the backdrop of a series of high-profile incidents involving digital assets in the country. In particular, a local resident was accused of attempting to poison a business partner over a conflict related to Bitcoin investments, resulting in the partner losing over $811,000. Additionally, in February 2026, the cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb accidentally distributed up to 2,000 BTC to its clients instead of the equivalent amount in the national currency, and in Seoul, bitcoins that were material evidence in a criminal case went missing – the police confirmed the disappearance of 22 BTC directly from the precinct.
Separately, the situation with the accidental publication of a wallet’s seed phrase by the National Tax Service, where digital assets worth approximately $4.8 million were stored, caused a stir.
In light of this, the South Korean authorities decided to review the rules for storing confiscated crypto assets to enhance security and avoid similar incidents in the future.