Approach via Meeting and Chat Apps or SNS
Ongoing Issue of 'Romance Scam' Exploiting Romantic Feelings
Experts Advise "Suspect First if Money Is Requested"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Due to COVID-19, more people are seeking non-face-to-face meetings. However, some are warning about the rise of 'new types of financial scams,' requiring caution. The method involves gaining favor or building rapport through dating applications (apps) and then extorting money under the pretext of virtual asset investments.
According to media reports on the 18th, Mr. Lee, in his 30s, met a woman living in Shanghai through a dating app. After building rapport, the woman invited Mr. Lee to a Bitcoin investment group, and trusting her advice to invest through a Chinese exchange, he invested about 30 million KRW and was scammed. Mr. Lee explained, "I had a lot of interactions with (the perpetrator)," adding, "I even had video calls, so there was no reason to suspect anything."
Mr. Lee continued, "There were about 20 people in that (Telegram investment group), and while looking for cases of scams, those pseudonyms I saw on Telegram were listed. When I searched again, the (woman's dating app) account was already gone."
Another victim accessed a specific site after being told they needed help with online coin exchange and ended up losing 100 million KRW through membership fees and transaction proof requirements. A family member in their 20s of a dating app scam victim said, "(My sibling) didn’t send money all at once," adding, "After hearing about that site, they made periodic deposits to raise their level. Later, they were deceived by being told that to withdraw quickly, they had to raise their level."
This kind of 'new financial scam' exploiting rapport and favor is not unprecedented. Previously, issues of 'romance scams'?fraud under the pretense of dating or marriage?have surfaced, where money is demanded after building relationships through meeting/chat apps or social networking services (SNS).
According to the Incheon Customs Office on the 10th, inquiries about whether items are seized by customs have recently increased, and a significant portion of these complaints have been revealed to be financial scams using the new method called 'romance scams.'
One victim of a 'romance scam,' a man in his 50s, Mr. A, promised marriage to a U.S. military woman stationed in Korea whom he met on Facebook five months ago. After his fianc?e sent a bag containing wedding gifts to Korea, she suddenly claimed there was a customs clearance issue and demanded customs fees from Mr. A. He sent 10 million KRW, but when he visited customs for confirmation in July, he realized he had been scammed.
Ms. B, a woman in her 30s, was also a victim of a 'romance scam' by a boyfriend she met on Facebook. In August, Mr. A’s boyfriend said, "I am currently detained at customs for violating the law by not declaring foreign exchange while trying to enter the country with $200,000 from the Philippines," and urged her to send 10 million KRW for quick customs clearance. Ms. B sent the money, but the boyfriend was a fictitious person who did not exist.
Experts analyze that illusions about the opposite sex influence 'romance scams.' Professor Oh Yoon-sung of Soonchunhyang University’s Department of Police Administration said, "Indirect meetings through voice or video tend to stimulate fantasies about the opposite sex more than actual face-to-face meetings," adding, "With recent difficulties in face-to-face meetings, relationships through apps or SNS have become easier, leading to more romance scams."
Professor Oh advised, "Due to the nature of crimes that commit fraud through building rapport, it is difficult to escape once money is demanded," and cautioned, "If there is a financial request from a partner met online, you should first be suspicious."
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