Scammer Who Extorted Over 100 Million Won Through "I Love You" Romance Scam Indicted After Police Halted Probe Due to Four Rescheduled Summons

A romance scam suspect, whose investigation was abruptly halted by police after repeatedly failing to appear for questioning, has been arrested and indicted following a corrective action request by the prosecution.

The Andong Branch of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office indicted a person in their 20s, identified as A, on charges of fraud yesterday, July 23.

A is accused of swindling 160 million won across roughly 700 transactions between June 2024 and October of last year by messaging the victim through social media, pretending to be in a romantic relationship and sending affectionate texts such as "I love you" and "I miss you."

For over a year, A communicated with the victim exclusively via social media, falsely claiming to be an employee at a financial institution in Yeouido, Seoul.

According to the investigation, A asked the victim for money under pretexts such as, "Tax issues arose after my parents passed away, so could you lend me 500,000 won?" A repaid a small portion of the money to build trust while repeatedly receiving funds.

It was found that A spent the vast majority of the extorted money on gambling.

Previously, the Yeongju Police Station in Gyeongsangbuk-do launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from the victim. However, A reportedly postponed attendance four times by texting police officers with excuses like "my work schedule changed" and "it is difficult to travel," while also ignoring phone calls.

While investigative agencies typically obtain an arrest warrant to forcibly bring in suspects who refuse to appear without justifiable reasons, the police instead issued a "suspension of investigation" decision in March, which is normally applied when a suspect's whereabouts are unknown and the probe cannot proceed.

However, in April, the prosecution sent a corrective action request to the police, instructing them to "secure A's custody by obtaining an arrest warrant."

This decision took into account that A had admitted to receiving the funds transferred, the scale of the fraud damage was substantial, and the nature of the crime was severe.

Subsequently, the police obtained account, arrest, and communication warrants for A, followed by an arrest warrant this month. The prosecution received A from the police under physical detention and ultimately brought the case to trial.

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Lee Eui-seon | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.