"Pay Membership and Security Fees"... Gang Swindles 10 Billion Won with "Compensated Dating" Scam

Scam Organization Steals Nearly 10 Billion Won
by Luring Victims with "Compensated Dating" Ads and Fake Websites

A scam organization that lured victims with the promise of compensated dating and stole a large sum of money has been caught by the police. The total amount of damages is close to 10 billion won.

Gangwon Provincial Police Agency building. Gangwon Provincial Police Agency

The Criminal Investigation Unit of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency announced on September 2 that it had arrested the ringleader, identified as Mr. A (42), and a mid-level manager, Mr. B (26), on charges of fraud, and referred nine other members of the organization to the prosecution without detention.

According to the police, Mr. A and his group are accused of placing advertisements for "compensated dating arrangements" on social networking services (SNS) for about six months starting in May of last year, luring victims and siphoning off a total of 9.3 billion won through a fake website.

They created a fraudulent website that appeared to offer introductions to women and outcall meetings, and promoted it on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. When victims who saw these ads visited the site, registered as members, and requested a meeting, the perpetrators demanded money under various pretexts such as "membership fees" and "security review fees."

The police launched an investigation based on a tip that young adults who had worked overseas in Cambodia were participating in the scam. Through this, they apprehended Mr. A and others. The police confirmed that the group had obtained 9.3 billion won in criminal proceeds and secured statements from 35 victims, which led to the arrest of the suspects. The amount lost by these 35 confirmed victims alone reached 1.45 billion won. However, due to the nature of the crime, which involved compensated dating, many victims were reluctant to report the incident, making it difficult to determine the full scale of the damage.

The police plan to track down some members of the organization who are currently in Cambodia through international cooperation. An official from the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency stated, "We will continue to focus our investigative resources on cracking down on increasingly sophisticated and malicious fraud crimes."