'Dongtan Officetel Jeonse Fraud' Spreads Widely... Over 90 Victims Reported

Some Victims Undergo 'First Investigation'
Police Identifying Office-Tel Owned by Mr. A and Spouse

It has been confirmed that the number of victims in the officetel lease fraud case that occurred in Dongtan New Town, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, has reached around 90 people.

The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency announced on the 21st that they are investigating after receiving 91 damage reports from tenants who said they received text messages from a couple, Mr. and Mrs. A, who own 253 officetels in Dongtan, Byeongjeom, and Suwon, requesting "to transfer the ownership registration of the officetels."

The police are identifying the number of officetels owned by the couple and are also looking into whether there are additional victims. According to the police, about 35% of the tenants of the couple’s officetels are reported to have suffered damages. It is said that these tenants are in a situation where they cannot recover their lease deposits, which are around 100 million won each.

The number of victims may increase like a snowball in the future. This is because there are tenants who have transferred ownership registration according to the couple’s demands, tenants whose contract terms have not yet expired, and tenants who are unaware of the damage.

The police are focusing on determining the intentionality of the couple’s fraudulent acts. If Mr. and Mrs. A continued to enter into officetel lease contracts from 2020 to last year without the intention or ability to return the lease deposits later, they may face punishment.

A police official stated, "The first round of investigations on the victims has been completed," and added, "Fact-finding on additional reports and investigations on the suspects will continue."

The police are also investigating another fraud accusation case against another landlord, Mr. B, who owned 43 officetels in Dongtan and recently filed for bankruptcy. It is known that one tenant claimed that Mr. B requested the transfer of officetel ownership, citing his bankruptcy filing.

Meanwhile, considering the seriousness of the matter, the police transferred the lease fraud case previously handled by Hwaseong Dongtan Police Station to the higher authority, the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, on the 20th.