An Elderly Man Who Claimed Glasses Cost After Being Hit by a Car... The Driver Felt Empty After Watching CCTV

As the vehicle approached, instead of avoiding it, they stayed close to the vehicle
and were seen taking something out of their pocket and placing it on the ground.

A story has been shared about a car owner who was allegedly deliberately bumped into by an elderly man while driving up a residential alley, with the elderly man later claiming damages. The elderly man even received 250,000 won in compensation from the car owner. Recently, a video titled "A new type of glasses scam? An elderly man claims his glasses lens fell out after being hit by a car, but CCTV footage revealed a surprising scene" was posted on the traffic-related YouTube channel 'Han Moon-cheol TV'.

Whistleblower A was driving up a narrow residential alley in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, with his mother in the front passenger seat. However, as he passed by an elderly man, there was a thud sound from a collision. At the time, he said he expected the elderly man to be able to avoid his vehicle.
[Photo by YouTube channel 'Han Moon-cheol TV']

The informant, Mr. A, was driving up a narrow residential alley in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, with his mother in the passenger seat. As he passed by an elderly man, there was a loud thud as if they collided. At the time, he thought the elderly man could have avoided his vehicle.

When Mr. A got out of the driver's seat and approached the elderly man, the man said, "The impact caused my glasses lens to fall out," and demanded 250,000 won for glasses repair, saying his body was fine. Instead of filing an insurance claim, Mr. A handed over 250,000 won on the spot. However, Mr. A felt uneasy afterward and visited the district office a few days later to check the CCTV footage to understand how the accident happened. Upon watching the footage, Mr. A was shocked by the twist.

In the CCTV footage, as Mr. A's vehicle approached, the elderly man did not avoid the car but deliberately moved close to the side of the vehicle, hitting his left elbow against it and then falling to the ground. Then, he was seen taking something out of his pocket and placing it on the ground. After confirming this, Mr. A said, "If I just let this go, someone else might fall victim to the same thing," and added, "I plan to report the elderly man to the police on suspicion of fraud."

Inside the CCTV footage, the elderly person did not avoid Mr. A's vehicle as it approached but deliberately moved close to the side of the vehicle, bumped their left elbow, and fell to the ground.
[Photo by Han Moon-cheol TV, YouTube channel]

Netizens who watched the video commented, "This is a classic Hollywood action," "The world is going downhill. Seeing an elderly person do this makes me think he has a criminal record," "People like this should have their identities disclosed," and "The law should be revised so that you can check if the other party has a criminal record in case of an accident." However, some netizens criticized Mr. A's driving, saying, "If an elderly person is nearby, you shouldn't just pass by immediately; you should wait until there is enough space and then pass slowly."

Deliberate ‘thud’ on cars... 1,800 cases of auto insurance fraud last year

Last year, over 1,800 cases of auto insurance fraud were detected by financial authorities. The perpetrators were mainly in their 20s and 30s and collectively received 9.4 billion won in insurance payouts. The Financial Supervisory Service announced the results of a continuous investigation into deliberate car accidents for insurance fraud on the 1st of this month. All cases detected were referred to investigative authorities.

The investigation revealed that 155 individuals deliberately caused 1,825 car accidents last year. The total insurance payout they received amounted to 9.4 billion won, averaging 61 million won per person. Both the number of cases and the amount of insurance money increased compared to the previous year. The number of cases rose by 15.4% from 1,581 in 2022, and the insurance payouts increased by 11.2% from approximately 8.4 billion won in 2022.

Most of the perpetrators were in their 20s and 30s. Among the 155 individuals detected, 78.8% were in this age group. The majority were engaged in transportation, self-employment, or automobile-related industries with irregular or fluctuating incomes. Usually, two or more people conspired, dividing roles as perpetrators and victims or riding together in one vehicle to stage accidents.

Insurance fraud involving rental cars notably increased. Of the 1,825 cases last year, 364 cases (20.2%) involved rental cars, more than doubling compared to 151 cases (9.6%) in 2022. The Financial Supervisory Service explained that the increase is likely due to people using rental cars to avoid insurance premium surcharges.

Six out of ten cases involved accidents targeting vehicles changing lanes. The Financial Supervisory Service stated that 62.5% of these cases involved deliberately colliding by not slowing down or accelerating against vehicles changing lanes. Accidents involving vehicles entering intersections or making left or right turns accounted for 11.7%, and 7.0% involved contact with vehicles reversing on regular roads.