Received 6 Million Won Settlement from 3 Traffic Accidents
A woman in her 60s who deliberately caused traffic accidents three times over two years to claim insurance money was sentenced to a fine.
On the 25th, the official YouTube channel of the National Police Agency uploaded a video titled "A person suddenly sitting down on the street as a motorcycle passes by, why on earth?" The video showed Ms. A, a woman in her 60s, suddenly sitting down in an alley in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, as a motorcycle passed by.
The motorcycle rider in the video tried to avoid Ms. A ahead, but she suddenly turned her body toward the passing motorcycle. Although there was no contact between the motorcycle and the woman, Ms. A sat down on the street. She received hospital treatment for this incident and even obtained a settlement payment.
Ms. A's suspicious behavior did not stop there. About a year later, she approached a vehicle at a crosswalk that was about to move forward and caused an accident by touching it with her right hand. She also caused an accident by extending her left foot toward a reversing vehicle. Investigations revealed that Ms. A received settlement payments totaling approximately 6 million won from three traffic accidents.
The police, considering the consecutive traffic accidents in a short period and suspicious accident scenes, judged that there was suspicion of insurance fraud and launched an investigation. Ms. A, who had no criminal record, denied the insurance fraud charges, but the police collected related evidence to prove intent. After gathering evidence including witness statements, a forensic report from the National Forensic Service, bank transaction records, and Supreme Court precedents, Ms. A was sent to the prosecution on charges of violating the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud. The court ruled that Ms. A deliberately caused the traffic accidents and excessively claimed insurance money, sentencing her to a fine.
Netizens who watched the video responded with comments such as "The police worked very hard to prove the insurance fraud," "Only a fine for three insurance fraud cases? The punishment is too light," "Don't live committing crimes at an old age," and "How bold to commit fraud with so many eyes around."
The National Police Agency announced that, in line with the strengthening of related legislation such as the first revision of the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud in eight years last August, it will conduct a special crackdown on insurance fraud crimes in the second half of the year. Earlier, from May, the National Police Agency conducted a special crackdown for two months in the first half of the year, arresting a total of 636 cases and 3,219 people (38 detained).
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