"My Door Lock Changed Even Though It's My Home"…After Catching the Culprit, "I'm Also a Victim"

The Front Door Lock Was Replaced While I Was Traveling
"My Foreign Boyfriend Said, 'It's Our Home to Live Together'"

A story about a changed door lock after returning home from a trip is spreading on social networking services (SNS). The person who replaced the door lock is a woman unknown to the homeowner, claiming that the house is for her and her foreign boyfriend to live together and that she is a victim of a 'romance scam.'

Mr. A revealed a story that the password for the door lock at his front door had been changed after he returned home from a trip.
[Photo by Instagram]

On the 26th, the Haeundae Police Station in Busan announced that they recently received a report of a 'changed door lock' at an apartment in Haeundae-gu. The homeowner, Mr. A, reported to the police that after returning from a trip, he found the door lock code had been changed.

Mr. A shared this absurd story on his SNS. He said, "After returning from the trip, I noticed the door lock on the front door was different, so I thought I might have gotten off on the wrong floor," but added, "However, seeing the packages and stroller, I was sure it was in front of my house." The video Mr. A shared shows the door being opened under police supervision and the door lock being replaced.

Mr. A explained the situation, saying, "I want many people to know that most door locks are easy to forcibly open," and added, "The culprit was found within a day, and the motive was very unusual."

Mr. A revealed a story that the password for the door lock at the entrance had been changed after returning home from a trip.
[Photo by Instagram]

According to Mr. A, the culprit, Ms. B, claims she was a victim of a romance scam by her foreign boyfriend, who deceived her by saying, "This is the house we will live in," and changed the door lock. Currently, Ms. B and the locksmith are being investigated as witnesses, not suspects, and if Ms. B's intent is not proven, criminal punishment will be difficult.

Mr. A expressed doubts, saying, "Even a 30-year veteran police officer finds this suspicious. I have no acquaintance with the culprit, and she says she was scammed by her boyfriend and changed the door lock because she was told it was the house they would live in, but there are too many parts I don't understand." He added, "If it were a burglary, I could accept it, but the culprit boldly wrote her name and phone number in the visitor log."

He continued, "After suffering an inexplicable crime with no purpose or connection, I had trouble sleeping at night and contacted the police several times, but was told, 'There is no need to worry about secondary damage.' I posted the video hoping it would raise awareness," and said, "I hope many people see this so that such damage does not occur."

A police official stated, "Nothing has been revealed yet," and "We plan to investigate the detailed circumstances."

After Mr. A's story was made public, others who experienced similar incidents appeared. One netizen shared, "When I came home from work, the door lock was completely broken. I called the police, forced the door open, and someone came out. It was exactly the same reason the woman mentioned."

The video is rapidly spreading through SNS and online communities. Netizens who saw the story responded with comments such as, "Romance scams are really scary," "They should check if she has mental issues," "The locksmith who opened the door is most at fault," and "How shocking it must have been. There are so many strange people these days."

Image unrelated to the article content. [Photo by Getty Images Bank]

Meanwhile, a romance scam is a crime where someone builds a relationship through SNS, gains the victim's affection as if they were lovers, and then extorts money from them. According to data released by the National Intelligence Service on the 21st, there were 281 reported cases of romance scam victims from 2018 to last year. The amount of damage reported from January to October this year reached 4.86 billion KRW. This crime is classified as a major form of cyber fraud, similar to voice phishing.

Compared to voice phishing crimes, victims of romance scams have fewer ways to seek relief. According to Article 4 of the 'Telecommunication Fraud Damage Refund Act,' which applies to voice phishing victims, if a victim requests a payment suspension from a financial company, the company must immediately take related measures. Victims can directly request payment suspension from the financial institution, and banks cooperate to prevent further damage. However, romance scams are increasing, but related laws are insufficient, so special caution is necessary.