Delivery driver who took owner's phone charged 1 million won for game fees and returned it

After Theft, 18 Small In-Game Purchases Made
"I'll Repay Within a Month, Please Understand"
Theft and Computer Fraud Charges Established

Photo unrelated to the article. Source=Pixabay

A delivery driver stole a restaurant owner's mobile phone and made paid purchases totaling around 1 million won.

JTBC's 'Incident Room' reported on the 19th about a tip from Mr. A, a man in his 70s who runs a barbecue restaurant in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. According to the report, Mr. A received a delivery order as usual in July, prepared the food, and handed it to the driver. Later, when he noticed his phone was missing, he checked the closed-circuit television (CCTV) and confirmed that the driver who had just left had put it in his bag.

When Mr. A contacted the driver immediately, the driver said it was a "mistake" and that "he was far away and it was difficult to come, but he would return it within the day." However, the driver sent messages such as "I will arrive within 15 minutes" and "I took a wrong turn and am going back. I will come as soon as possible," arriving about three hours later than initially promised. Moreover, he did not hand the phone directly to Mr. A but said, "I left it under the truck in front of the restaurant, so please take it." The phone was there without the case it had been in, but Mr. A was relieved to have gotten it back safely.

However, the next month's phone bill showed paid game purchases amounting to 990,000 won. Shocked, Mr. A contacted the telecom company and confirmed that 18 game transactions were made on the day the driver took the phone. He tried to report to the police but did not know the driver's name or contact information, so he explained the situation to the delivery intermediary company. When the company contacted the driver, he denied taking the phone, and eventually, all contact was lost. Mr. A then reported the incident to the police, warning of strong action. The driver later contacted him again, admitting, "I took it to sell the phone," and asked for leniency, promising to repay the money within a month. Mr. A responded, "If you don't pay immediately, I will report to the police," and currently, the driver has filed a complaint against Mr. A. Lawyer Yang Ji-yeol stated, "Even if the phone was returned, theft charges apply the moment it was taken. Since paid purchases were made, computer use fraud charges could lead to up to 10 years in prison," adding, "It is suspected that this person has committed such crimes multiple times."

Netizens who heard the story reacted with comments such as "This must never be forgiven," "Because of people like that, hardworking drivers get bad reputations," and "The nature of the crime is very serious."