Employees of a Telecom Company Embezzle 300 Million by Writing Their Own Numbers and Swiping Customer Gifts

Three Telecom Employees Diverting Customer Gift Certificates Given Suspended Sentences, One Imprisoned
Entered Own Numbers at Gift Dispatch Centers... Embezzled Billions Worth

[Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Employees of a telecommunications company who embezzled mobile gift certificates worth several hundred million won, provided as gifts to customers who renewed their contract periods, have been sentenced to prison.

According to Yonhap News on the 17th, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Park Jinyoung) announced that three people in their 20s, including A, who were indicted for computer fraud and obstruction of business by computer, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 1 year and 2 months to 2 years, with 2 to 3 years of probation. B, in his 30s, who was also indicted on the same charges, was sentenced to 1 year in prison and was taken into custody in court.

A is accused of embezzling mobile gift certificates provided as gifts to customers who renewed their contracts while working as a sales representative at a telecommunications agency from March 2020 for one year. During this period, he stole approximately 310 million won worth of mobile gift certificates, ranging from 20,000 to 70,000 won each, in about 8,800 instances.

The method was simple. A randomly searched customer information in the telecommunications subscriber management system to find customers eligible for gift shipments, then entered his own or family members’ mobile phone numbers in the customer contact field to claim the gifts. The other three also used the same method. It is known that each of them embezzled gift certificates worth between 100 million and 200 million won in about 3,000 to 6,000 instances.

The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "The amount embezzled is considerable and the crime period is quite long," but also considered that "the three, including A, reached a settlement with the victim company and expressed a desire not to be punished, whereas D was not forgiven by the victim company."