60s Woman Who Scammed Men Met at Restaurants Sentenced to Prison

Obtained Car Installment Payments and Cell Phones from Two People
Court: "Over 10 Similar Crimes... Severe Punishment Inevitable"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A woman in her 60s who pretended to be in a romantic relationship with two men she met at a restaurant and obtained a new car and a mobile phone was sentenced to prison.

On the 19th, according to Yonhap News, Judge Park Jinyoung of the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 sentenced A (60, female), who was indicted on charges of fraud and quasi-fraud, to 1 year and 6 months in prison.

In April 2020, A developed a romantic relationship with B, whom she met at a gukbap restaurant in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province. Afterwards, she deceived B by saying, "I will pay the car installment when the land expropriation compensation comes out," then made B sign a car installment contract in B's name and embezzled the principal of the installment, gaining a profit worth approximately 47.4 million won.

A also approached C, a man in his 50s who visited a restaurant in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, where she worked as an employee, as a customer around the same time. Pretending she would marry C, A said, "If you buy me a mobile phone, I will pay the money," and made C purchase the latest model mobile phone in C's name. A is also charged with not paying 2.15 million won in phone bills for 9 months. Investigations revealed that A is a habitual offender with about 10 previous convictions related to fraud.

Judge Park explained the reason for the sentencing, saying, "Since forgiveness was not obtained from B, the damage has not been properly restored, and considering the approximately 10 previous convictions for similar crimes, a severe punishment is inevitable."