A man in his 30s known as 'Jangyeom Man' threatened 3,000 restaurants... Embezzled money lost to gambling

Threatening Business Suspension Reports to Demand Money
90 Million KRW Lost at 418 Locations Nationwide
Extorted Settlement Money Used for Online Gambling

A man in his 30s who threatened to claim compensation from restaurants nationwide by falsely alleging he had contracted enteritis without actually eating the food was arrested by the police.

On the 17th, the Criminal Mobile Unit of the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency announced that they had arrested and were investigating Mr. A (39) on charges of habitual fraud. Mr. A is accused of extorting approximately 90 million won from restaurants across the country 418 times between June last year and March this year. He targeted restaurants that appeared when searching for "national gourmet restaurants" on his mobile phone. He randomly called these places and, despite not having actually eaten there, demanded settlement money by saying things like, "I dined with my party and contracted enteritis," "I have had diarrhea and have been eating only porridge for days, so send me the porridge cost," and "Why should I pay for medicine with my own money?" When the owners hesitated, he threatened, "I don't care about customers' health," and "If there is no compensation, I will report you to the district office to have your business suspended." However, it is known that Mr. A hung up the phone when the restaurant owners asked specific questions such as "We will handle it through insurance," or "When and where did you eat the food?"

It is reported that the restaurants receiving calls from Mr. A numbered about 3,000 nationwide, including Jeju Island. Owners, whose livelihoods were at stake, transferred tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of won as settlement money to Mr. A. Using the same method, Mr. A called 10 to 20 places daily. Victimized owners shared their experiences online and nicknamed him the "Enteritis Man."

The police confirmed that Mr. A was previously caught and sentenced to prison in 2020 for committing similar crimes during the difficult times self-employed people faced due to COVID-19, and was released last year. About two months after his release, Mr. A resumed his crimes, calling an average of 10 to up to 20 restaurants daily to extort settlement money. He reportedly turned off his mobile phone at night to evade police tracking. Additionally, after his release, he changed his phone number more than 20 times. The police believe that changing phone numbers was a method to avoid police tracking and complaints from restaurant owners.

Mr. A stated that he spent all the extorted settlement money on online gambling funds and living expenses. Shim Nam-jin, Team 2 Chief of the Criminal Mobile Unit, advised, "If you receive such a call, ask for the date and time of the meal and request objective evidence such as receipts. It is also good to check whether the person actually dined there through internal CCTV footage of the restaurant."