South Korean police have arrested multiple suspects for hire-based vandalism attacks on residential properties - each paid roughly $550 in cryptocurrency by anonymous clients who recruited them through Telegram.
Investigators believe an organized "private revenge" network is behind the coordinated campaign, with masterminds still at large.
The cases follow a consistent pattern: suspects are contracted anonymously via Telegram, paid in cryptocurrency, and instructed to vandalize targets' homes with waste, graffiti, and defamatory leaflets.
None of the arrested suspects knew who hired them.
What Happened
The most recent incident occurred Feb. 22 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where a suspect spread food waste and human feces on a 15th-floor apartment door, graffitied it with red lacquer paint, and scattered defamatory leaflets throughout the building.
He was arrested Feb. 26 after police traced him to his home in Guri. The Suwon District Court issued a formal arrest warrant covering trespassing, intimidation, and property damage.
The suspect told officers he was paid 800,000 won (approximately $556) in cryptocurrency via a Telegram advertisement that was deleted immediately after the deal was made.
A similar attack occurred in Gunpo in late February, and a third case was reported in Pyeongtaek, where three men vandalized a door with soybean paste and syrup for 500,000 won (~$345) after responding to a Telegram post.
In all three cases, suspects said they were hired anonymously through Telegram channels that post and rapidly delete recruitment ads. Police are examining whether the cases are connected and are actively pursuing the clients who placed the orders.
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Why It Matters
The cases add a street-level dimension to crypto-enabled crime that goes beyond financial fraud.
Telegram's architecture - ephemeral channels, pseudonymous accounts - combined with cryptocurrency's traceability challenges creates conditions difficult for law enforcement to penetrate quickly.
The phenomenon is not confined to South Korea. Russian newspaper Izvestia reported in 2024 that middlemen operating on Telegram and darkweb portals charge clients roughly $1,500 for arson attacks on vehicles and non-residential properties, paying teenagers around $750 per job exclusively in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
A South Korean police officer told the Korea Herald that tracking the organizers is complicated: "They post advertisements and delete them immediately once a deal is reached."
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