20s Sent to Prosecution for Extortion via Intentional Accident in Busan
Taxi Driver in Gwangju Embezzled 27 Million Won through Intentional Accident
Taxi Driver Blocking Ambulance Also Faces Intentional Accident Charges
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Crimes involving deliberately causing accidents and then extorting money under the pretext of medical expenses are occurring repeatedly. They exploited the victims' vulnerabilities to extort money but were eventually caught.
According to the police on the 15th, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency sent a man in his 20s, identified as A, to the prosecution with a detention request on the 11th for violating the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud and for extortion charges.
A is accused of deliberately causing an accident by jumping in front of a drunk-driving vehicle at the underground parking lot entrance of a nightlife establishment in Haeundae-gu, Busan, late at night, then threatening to report it and receiving 800,000 won, extorting a total of 3.5 million won in three instances using this method. A also boarded a city bus near the bus terminal and, after the bus started moving, deliberately fell to the floor to extort settlement money and medical expenses, embezzling 4.5 million won in four installments from the Bus Mutual Aid Association.
A deliberately collided with drunk-driving vehicles leaving nightlife establishments, demanding 5 million won, and when refused, reported the incident to the police himself, which led to the crime being uncovered. The police reviewed the black box footage of the accident vehicle and confirmed that A was waiting in advance and jumped out as the vehicle was leaving, initiating an investigation.
In Gwangju, taxi driver B, who caused deliberate accidents with vehicles running red lights or drunk driving to extort settlement money and insurance payouts, was also detained on the 2nd. B extorted a total of 27 million won in four instances in Gwangju from January to June this year.
Taxi driver Choi (31), who was criticized for blocking an ambulance transporting an emergency patient to the hospital, is another representative case. On the 21st of last month, Judge Lee Yoo-young of the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 3 sentenced Choi, who was indicted on six charges including special assault, obstruction of business, fraud, and violation of the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud, to two years in prison, explaining, "The defendant, having worked in the driving industry for many years, deliberately caused accidents or pretended that simple contact accidents required outpatient or inpatient treatment to extort insurance money and settlement fees."
Choi was indicted for blocking an ambulance for about 10 minutes on June 8th on a road near Godeok Station on Seoul Subway Line 5 in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, demanding "handle the accident first" after a contact accident with the ambulance. Choi was also indicted for deliberately causing an accident against a private ambulance in July 2017. It was investigated that he attempted but failed to obtain settlement money or insurance payments from this accident.
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