Man Fakes Wealth With 1 Billion Won Bank Account, Marries Victim, and Commits Fraud

"I run a large cattle farm and own several commercial buildings, so I will make you happy."

A man in his 50s who swindled hundreds of millions of won from a woman he met on a dating app—whom he eventually registered a marriage with—and her family has been put behind bars.

The Jeonju District Court announced today (September 10) that Judge Moon Ju-hee, presiding over Criminal Single Division 5, sentenced A, 54, to two years and six months in prison and placed him under court custody on charges of fraud and theft.

A was indicted for failing to repay approximately 230 million won borrowed from B, a woman in her 50s with whom he had a marital relationship, and her son, as well as credit card debts incurred under their names.

The ill-fated relationship between A and B began in September 2022.

After meeting B on a dating app, A showed her a bank account manipulated to look like it held about 1 billion won, boasting of his wealth by saying, "I run a large farm in Wanju-gun. I also have commercial buildings and property to inherit."

Their relationship developed rapidly thereafter, leading them to register their marriage in March of the following year and set up their newlywed home at B's house in Jeongeup.

However, the rosy dream of a happy future was shattered before long.

A steadily demanded money, claiming, "The 1 billion won in my account is frozen, so I need cash." He even used B's credit card to purchase a mid-sized SUV, telling her, "I cannot buy a car under my name right now, so let's buy it on installment."

Eventually, he even called B's son, asking to borrow tens of millions of won under the pretext, "I am looking for a house for your mother and me to live in, but I am short on the deposit. I will sell the cattle I raise or my stocks to pay you back."

In reality, A was a bad credit holder with no farm, no commercial buildings, no stocks, and no property to inherit. He even used a portion of the money borrowed from B and her son to purchase game currency.

B, who belatedly discovered his true identity, severed ties with him through a lawsuit to nullify and cancel the marriage in September 2024.

The court rebuked A, who stood trial for these acts, stating, "The nature of the crime is very poor, as the defendant abused the trust of the victims to repeatedly extort money and acquire financial benefits."

The court ruled, "Given that the defendant shows a markedly weak sense of awareness, normative consciousness, and law-abiding spirit regarding crime, raising concerns about recidivism, a prison sentence is inevitable."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.