"Lottery Winning Numbers Revealed": Gang Swindles 12.8 Billion Won from 9,000 Victims

53 More Members Indicted
Linked to Local Gang and Fraud Ring

The image shows a lottery ticket sales store, unrelated to the article content.

A group that pocketed tens of billions of won by using lottery winning numbers as bait has been additionally indicted. They attracted more than 9,000 victims by claiming that only paid members would be informed of the winning numbers, and were found to have swindled 12.8 billion won.

On November 6, the Criminal Division 2 of the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office (headed by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park Jongseon) announced that it had indicted 53 members of the group, including a team leader-level manager identified as Mr. A (32), without detention on charges of fraud and participating in a criminal organization.

According to the prosecution, from May 2021 to October 2023, Mr. A and his accomplices recruited members through two “lottery winning number prediction websites” operated by the ringleader, Mr. B (41), in the Incheon area. They are accused of defrauding about 9,000 people of 12.8 billion won through 18,428 separate transactions.

Previously, the ringleader Mr. B was indicted and detained on charges of fraud amounting to 40 billion won and organizing a criminal group. In the first trial, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay 10.5 billion won in forfeiture.

The prosecution confirmed that the organization was formed mainly around members of a used car fraud ring and local gang members in Incheon, and further identified the specific periods and details of each individual’s involvement in the crimes.

During the investigation, it was also revealed that three people who had previously been referred to the police for simple fraud were actually team leader-level managers. The prosecution added the charge of participating in a criminal organization to these individuals.

A prosecution official stated, “We will continue to work closely with the police and conduct supplementary investigations ourselves to uncover the truth and eradicate mass fraud cases that cause widespread harm to ordinary citizens.”