Court: "Severity of Guilt Is High"
Sentenced to Two Years and Six Months in Prison
A man in his twenties who participated in phishing crimes, stole money and valuables, and even committed robbery to help resolve his senior's debt issues, has been sentenced to prison.
According to Yonhap News on November 8, the Criminal Division 2 of the Chuncheon District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Seongrae) sentenced Mr. A (age 23) to two years and six months in prison on eight charges, including violation of the Act on the Prevention of Damage from Telecommunications-based Financial Fraud, fraud, violation of the Act on Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds, embezzlement, and attempted special robbery.
In October 2023, Mr. A was approached by a member of a phishing crime organization who offered him more than 5 million won per month if he simply delivered gold. He then obtained a burner phone and, following instructions, stole money and valuables from victims, leading to his prosecution.
According to the indictment, in December 2023, Mr. A participated in a scam by accessing the bank account of victim B, who had fallen for a smishing attack involving an obituary text message containing a URL that installed a malicious application. He stole 5 million won from B's account. Using account information obtained through smishing, he also posed as a buyer of a gold necklace on a secondhand trading site. He transferred 6.6 million won from B's account to the seller, received the gold necklace, and handed it over to the organization member.
He deceived the gold necklace seller by pretending to make a legitimate purchase, saying, "I will buy a 20-don gold necklace for 6.6 million won, at 330,000 won per don." He later pretended to be B's husband at the transaction site, a road in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
That was not all. After a junior who had borrowed money disappeared, Mr. A, along with senior C (age 41), committed robbery while searching for him. The two broke into the junior's home in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, assaulted the returning victim, and threatened him, demanding repayment of the debt. When the junior failed to come up with the money, Mr. A, following C's instructions, forced the victim to lie face down and repeatedly struck him on the buttocks.
When the terrified victim offered to hand over luxury bags and clothing, the police arrived, and the two fled the scene. However, B later instructed another junior, D (age 28), to "bring the items we missed earlier." D then entered the house using a password obtained from the victim's colleague and stole luxury goods worth 19.55 million won.
The court stated, "Telecommunications-based financial fraud is an organized crime targeting an unspecified large number of people and causes significant social harm. Considering the defendant's level of involvement, the methods used, and the scale of the damages, the guilt is by no means light," explaining the rationale for sentencing.
The court sentenced C, who was tried together on charges of attempted special robbery, violation of the Act on Collection of Claims, and instigation of special theft, to three years in prison, suspended for five years. D, who was indicted for special theft, was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years.
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