"Avoiding the Cat"... Turns Out It Was a Deliberate Accident to Claim Insurance Money

A group who deliberately submerged an old imported car in water and claimed "an accident occurred while avoiding a cat during driving" to fraudulently receive insurance money has been sentenced to imprisonment. Photo by Asia Economy [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hana Na] A group who deliberately submerged an old imported car in water and falsely claimed in an insurance report that "the accident occurred while avoiding a cat during driving" to receive insurance money has been sentenced to imprisonment.

According to the accident report filed with an insurance company in November 2018, an old imported car crashed into a central divider and fell into a stream in a rural village in Iksan, Jeonbuk.

At the time, there were one driver and two passengers in the vehicle. They claimed that a cat appeared while driving, and they fell into the stream while trying to avoid it. Subsequently, they received a total of 18.5 million won in insurance payouts, including total loss compensation, by April of the following year.

However, police investigations revealed that they intentionally caused the accident by leaving the vehicle's transmission in the driving state on a sparsely populated road and using a long stick to press the accelerator pedal, deliberately causing the vehicle to fall into the stream.

At the time, 31-year-old Mr. A, who was experiencing financial difficulties, committed the crime with his older sister Ms. B and his friend Mr. C, receiving a large sum of insurance money. However, a few months later, Mr. A and Mr. C were each sentenced to imprisonment for other fraud charges and violations of the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud.

During this process, a petition and investigation request regarding the imported car accident were submitted, leading the police to start an investigation and eventually catch the culprits.

The Daejeon District Court sentenced the siblings Mr. A and Ms. B to six months in prison with a two-year probation for violating the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud, and Mr. C to two months in prison. Additionally, the court ordered probation and 360 hours of community service for the siblings.

The court stated the reason for sentencing, saying, "This crime imposes a burden on many honest insurance subscribers and causes significant social harm, thus requiring strict punishment."

Regarding the method of pressing the accelerator pedal with a stick from outside the vehicle, the court said, "The method was planned and meticulous, necessitating a heavy penalty."

However, the court also noted that the fact that the group repaid most of the defrauded money to the victim insurance company was considered in sentencing.

Meanwhile, the group has filed an appeal against the verdict.