"My Son Is Sick"... A Woman in Her 30s Scammed 1 Billion Won on a Chat App with Lies

Busan District Court Seobu Branch Sentences to 4 Years Imprisonment

A woman in her 30s who posted a message on a chat application (app) claiming that she needed hospital fees for her child and then defrauded multiple victims who contacted her out of more than 1 billion won was sentenced to prison.

On the 15th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Western Branch of Busan District Court announced that it sentenced A, a woman in her 30s, who was indicted on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud), to four years in prison.

A was tried on charges of deceiving victims she met through the chat app from June 2021 to December last year by falsely claiming she needed hospital fees for her son and obtaining more than 1 billion won. At that time, A posted a message on the chat app titled "Looking for someone to lend 3 million won for my son's hospital fees." When victims who saw this contacted her, A said, "My son is hospitalized and I urgently need hospital fees. If you lend me 3 million won, I will repay it within three months." However, A's son was not hospitalized at the time, and A had neither the intention nor the ability to repay the money.

In addition, A told other victims, "I need 2 million won for my child's surgery fees," and "I will repay it once the child's insurance payout comes," receiving money multiple times. To another victim, she lied, saying, "My son suffers from epilepsy and needs surgery immediately, but I have no hospital fees," and "If you lend me money, I will work to repay it." Using these methods, A defrauded several victims over 180 times, totaling more than 1 billion won.

Investigations revealed that A did not use the borrowed money for her child's hospital fees and was also burdened with personal debts amounting to tens of millions of won. It is also known that A had a prior record of a fine for a similar offense.

The court stated, "A had personal debts amounting to tens of millions of won and had neither the intention nor the ability to repay the borrowed money," and pointed out, "She defrauded victims of a large sum, and considering the circumstances and methods of the crime and the scale of the damage, the nature of the crime is serious." Regarding the sentencing rationale, the court explained, "Most of the damages have not been compensated, and there is no indication that the victims will be able to receive compensation. However, the sentence was determined considering that A admitted to the crime and showed remorse, and that she has no prior criminal record beyond fines."