[Anchor]
We have received a report from a victim who says they were swindled out of their entire jeonse (lump-sum housing lease) deposit by a person posing as a lawyer who promised to help recover money lost to a previous scam. The perpetrator even forged the photo and identification of a real, practicing lawyer.
Reporter Kwon Min-kyu has the story.
[Reporter]
Last autumn, a person in their 60s, identified by the surname Lee, lost 3.8 million won to a second-hand transaction scam.
While feeling discouraged, Lee saw an advertisement on social media this past spring claiming to help recover money lost to fraud. When Lee reached out, a person identifying as a lawyer, referred to as A, sent a lawyer identification card and a registration certificate from the Korean Bar Association.
[Lee (pseudonym) / Victim: They even sent a profile photo and claimed it was them. So, I completely trusted them.]
However, as soon as the contract was signed, A introduced a person named B, claiming an IT expert was needed to recover the funds, and alleged that the 3.8 million won lost in the initial scam had been transferred to a casino in Macau.
A then pressured Lee to deposit money into a cryptocurrency exchange account, claiming they had technology to hack the casino and that if Lee cooperated, all the money could be recovered.
When Lee began to suspect a scam, A even invited Lee to a group chat for victims, claiming there were others in similar situations.
[Lee (pseudonym) / Victim: I was a bit suspicious. But then a woman in the same group said, 'Sister, other people have already recovered their money and left. Don't worry.']
Claiming that fund recovery was narrowly failing due to repeated account freezes, A demanded more money each time to resolve the issues. Over the course of two months, Lee deposited a total of 140 million won more than 20 times.
[Lee (pseudonym) / Victim: I had a jeonse deposit, and I withdrew 70 million won from it. When I couldn't find any more money, they suddenly blocked me and disappeared.]
The real lawyer whose identity A impersonated has already filed a criminal complaint with the police, stating that their identity was stolen. The law firm A claimed to represent was also identified by the Korean Bar Association as a fraudulent entity that the public should be wary of.
[Lawyer whose identity was stolen: I told them, of course, that it was not me. It seems someone stole my personal information and is committing another fraud against you.]
Reports of lawyer impersonation cases, which stood at 7 in 2022, surged to 177 last year.
[Kim Ju-hyun / Policy Director, Korean Bar Association: Because crimes are becoming more sophisticated, just searching online is not enough. You must verify through phone calls and in-person meetings before making any deposits.]
The Anseong Police Station in Gyeonggi Province is tracking the flow of funds, suspecting there may be additional victims beyond Lee.
Reported by Kang Dong-chul and Lee Sang-hak | Video by Kim Yun-seong | Graphics by Park Tae-young | Produced by SBS Digital News
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