Created Medical Certificates with ChatGPT and Demanded Insurance Payouts... Man in His 20s Sentenced to Prison for Collecting 150 Million Won

Requested Changes to Admission and Discharge Dates
Case of Petition Forgery Reported in February Last Year

Photo for article understanding. The Asia Business Daily DB

A man in his 20s who used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create forged medical certificates and fraudulently obtained insurance payouts worth hundreds of millions of won has been sentenced to prison.

On December 24, the Busan District Court's Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judge Shim Jae-nam) announced that it had sentenced Mr. A to two years in prison for violating the Special Act on Prevention of Insurance Fraud. He was found guilty of using ChatGPT to create fake medical certificates and claim insurance payouts, receiving a total of 150 million won in insurance money over 11 separate instances from July 2024 for about a year.

Mr. A photographed a hospitalization and outpatient certificate he had received from a hospital in Busan with his mobile phone and uploaded it to ChatGPT, requesting that the periods of admission and discharge be extended. As a result, ChatGPT generated a file stating that he had been hospitalized for repeated fainting and dizziness.

Using a similar method, Mr. A also forged documents claiming that an acquaintance had been injured while playing soccer and collected insurance money.

Presiding Judge Shim explained the sentencing, stating, "The defendant's actions are of a serious nature, including deceiving insurance companies to obtain insurance payouts, and no settlement has been reached with the victimized insurers."

The legal community is expressing concern that crimes using AI are likely to continue in the future. The first case of such a crime being brought to trial occurred in February last year, when the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted a detained suspect for forgery after discovering that he had used ChatGPT to submit multiple petitions under the names of acquaintances and family members.

The prosecution stated, "There have been concerns about the misuse of generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT for evidence fabrication and the creation and distribution of false or forged documents and videos. This is a case where a forged petition created with AI was actually submitted in a criminal trial," adding, "We will continue to respond strictly to crimes involving the misuse of AI."