Fraudster Who Targeted Victims Again Just One Month After Release Sentenced to Prison

A man who exploited the desperate situations of fraud victims to scam them a second time has been sentenced to prison.

The Incheon District Court announced that it has sentenced a man in his 30s, identified as A, to four years in prison on charges of fraud.

A was indicted on charges of deceiving eight fraud victims and stealing approximately 390 million won between April and December of last year.

Investigations revealed that A infiltrated open chat rooms where victims of investment fraud and other scams gathered, claiming, "If you pay a retainer fee, I will help you recover the money lost to the fraudulent companies."

Furthermore, to a victim who had been scammed by an impersonation website, A lied by saying, "The developers of the impersonation site are my clients," and promised to check if he could contact the developers if the victim made an advance payment.

It was determined that A had no intention or ability to recover the lost funds and only sought the money to spend on entertainment or cryptocurrency investments.

Moreover, A had been released from prison last year after serving a three-year sentence and paying a 1 million won fine for a previous fraud conviction in June 2023.

The court stated, "The defendant committed the same type of crime just one month after his release," adding, "The nature of the crime is very poor, as he targeted people who were already victims of crime by exploiting their desperate state of mind."

The court further explained the sentencing, noting, "Despite the fraud amount reaching 390 million won, the damages have not been fully recovered to date, and the defendant has not been forgiven by the victims."

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