Internet frauds jump in S.Korea

The number of arrests linked to online fraud in South Korea, one of the world's most wired countries, increased by more than 50 percent in the past two years, police warned Wednesday. A total of 26,826 people were detained last year on charges of swindling online shoppers through a variety of fraudulent transactions in cyberspace, the National Police Agency said in a report. "Despite crackdowns, online frauds in this country have been rising sharply," ruling party lawmaker Yoon Seok-Yong told journalists. Low-income earners are the main victims of such scams, he said, urging government to come up with measures to protect them from being robbed. South Korea is ranked first for wireless Internet penetration among the 34 states who are members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In terms of wireless broadband subscriptions last year, South Korea had 89.8 per every 100 people, according to the OECD. Finland was second with 84.8 per every 100 people, followed by Sweden with 82.9, Norway 79.9 and Japan with 76.7.