Former Police Officer Impersonating Detective to Steal Civilian Information Sentenced to 2 Years and 8 Months in Prison

Called the police substation demanding addresses and phone numbers of 7 people
Committed the crime after receiving a request on SNS... Has a history of similar offenses

A former police officer who impersonated a detective and called a local police station to steal civilians' personal information was sentenced to prison.

The Cheongju District Court Criminal Division 6 (Presiding Judge Jo Hyun-seon) sentenced former police officer A (64), who was tried on charges of impersonating a public official and violating the Personal Information Protection Act, to 2 years and 8 months in prison, according to Yonhap News on the 24th.

Cheongju District Court

A was charged with calling a local police station in Cheongju, Chungbuk, in April using a public phone, identifying himself as a detective from the same police station, and requesting the addresses and resident registration numbers of seven women in their early to mid-30s living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, claiming "the wanted persons database is down and it is urgent." The victims all had the same name but were different individuals. On the same day, he also called a police box in Chungnam and extracted civilians' personal information using the same method.

The police officer who answered the call became suspicious during the conversation with A and requested identification. A then hung up and fled by taking an intercity bus but was caught 13 days after the crime. It is known that A had committed similar crimes in Seoul in the past, was imprisoned in 2022, and was released in December last year. After his release, he posted on social media offering to obtain personal information and was investigated to have received 1 million won from an unidentified person B to commit the crime. A reportedly stated that he committed the crime to earn living expenses after his release. The police contacted six of the seven victims to inform them of the damage and provided support such as issuing smartwatches and conducting intensive patrols near their residences. The remaining one victim could not be contacted as they reside overseas.

The court pointed out, "The defendant abused his experience as a former police officer to obtain personal information, and considering the circumstances and method of the crime, the culpability is serious." Regarding the sentencing, the court explained, "The sentence was determined considering that the defendant committed this crime during the period of recidivism for similar offenses."