A man in his 20s arrested and sent to prosecution for posing as a wealthy person on SNS and distributing illegal footage

Eight Including Re-distributors of Filmed Materials Arrested... One Detained

A man in his 20s who approached women on social networking services (SNS) pretending to be a wealthy foreigner and illegally filmed them has been handed over to the prosecution.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 14th that they have arrested and sent Mr. A, a man in his 20s, to prosecution on charges including filming and distribution using a camera under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, and fraud. In addition, seven suspects who purchased and resold the videos filmed by Mr. A were additionally apprehended, with one of them being detained.

Mr. A approached women on SNS pretending to be a wealthy foreigner, proposing sexual favors worth billions of won per meeting. He then increased intimacy with the victims, developed romantic relationships, and demanded videos of their bodies, which he later distributed online.

Moreover, Mr. A is also accused of deceiving victims by claiming “temporary payment issues,” asking them to lend money with promises of multiple repayments, then having them make payments to overseas companies on his behalf before cutting off contact, thereby embezzling hundreds of thousands of won.

Police investigations revealed that Mr. A, who is actually unemployed, acquired information about the wealthy class through foreign movies about chaebols and internet searches, and collected photos of luxury imported cars and other luxury goods. He also created accounts under the names of chaebol families from movies and even impersonated an ‘agency’ connecting wealthy individuals, effectively playing two roles alone, indicating thorough planning of the crime.

It was found that Mr. A continued his crimes against dozens of women using these methods. The police discovered signs of additional victims in the seized materials and are investigating further offenses committed by Mr. A.

A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official stated, “We will continue to track down those who redistribute illegal videos and will do our best to eradicate cyber crimes that threaten the public’s livelihood, such as digital sex crimes and cyber fraud.” They also urged, “Do not trust unknown individuals who approach you via SNS or other means, and especially be cautious not to suffer damage when money or personal information is requested.”