A man in his 30s who repeatedly committed fraud by pretending to sell products on secondhand trading platforms has been brought to trial.
The Criminal Division 4 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Song Inho) announced on November 3 that Mr. A (in his 30s) has been indicted without detention on charges of fraud.
Mr. A is accused of deceiving 16 people out of approximately 3 million won between August 2023 and April of this year by falsely claiming to sell items such as OTT (online video service) subscription passes, monthly apartment parking permits, and department store gift certificates through Junggonara and KakaoTalk open chat rooms.
Mr. A would tell victims, "If you send the monthly subscription fee, I will give you an OTT subscription pass," or "If you send the parking fee, I will provide you with a monthly parking permit for the apartment where I currently reside," and then disappear after receiving the money.
Previously, the police decided not to refer the case for prosecution, stating that it was difficult to see Mr. A as having intentionally disappeared, given that he had returned money to some of the victims.
However, the prosecution requested a reinvestigation, stating, "The return of a portion of the damages alone does not exclude the possibility of fraud." The police responded that, considering the return of funds and the withdrawal of complaints, there was no need for further investigation.
The prosecution then conducted a supplementary investigation themselves, and through account analysis, confirmed that Mr. A had used money from new victims to pay off previous victims, thereby establishing his intent to commit fraud.
A prosecution official stated, "Going forward, the prosecution will thoroughly exercise judicial oversight over the police to ensure that even those who commit minor property crimes receive criminal penalties commensurate with their actions, and will continue to focus on our core duties."
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