Man in His 20s Referred to Prosecution for Luxury Goods Scam After Posing as Wealthy Influencer

A man accused of swindling billions of won by posing as a female influencer online and deceiving victims with offers of luxury goods at bargain prices has been referred to the prosecution.

The Seoul Geumcheon Police Station announced today (July 8) that it recently referred a man in his 20s, surnamed Park, to the prosecution on charges including fraud.

Park is accused of receiving money from victims on online trading platforms after claiming he would sell luxury bags and other items at prices dozens of times lower than the market rate, only to never deliver the products.

Police have identified approximately 50 victims so far, with the total damages amounting to around 4.2 billion won.

This figure has more than doubled in the two months since the case was first reported by SBS in May. Police have identified numerous cases where victims had not received a single item even two years after sending their payments.

Victims collectively stated, "In the beginning, Park built trust by immediately accepting refund requests. Later, he would continuously lure us by saying, 'This is an offer only for regular customers,' and 'You can make a huge profit if you buy these multi-hundred-million-won items for just a few million won and resell them.'"

When pressured about delivery delays, Park would appease them by saying, "I am sending them out in order. They will arrive soon." The police investigation began after buyers, unable to wait any longer, filed criminal complaints.

Police, having discovered evidence that Park deceived consumers by posing as a wealthy female influencer with 140,000 followers, conducted interviews with victims and visited Park in detention, where he has been held since April for a separate fraud case.

It is reported that Park previously denied the allegations, claiming, "There were just setbacks in delivery because refund requests were pouring in."

However, the investigation revealed that Park, who had been posing as a wealthy individual, was actually penniless.

When police checked accounts under Park's name, they found that the balance was effectively zero won.

Police believe that Park lured buyers by offering luxury bags and watches at low prices and used the money he collected to fund a lavish lifestyle, including living in a luxury residence.

As victims compare the case to the "second Jeon Cheong-jo incident"—referring to a fraudster who went to prison after posing as a wealthy conglomerate heir while lying about their gender—there is a possibility that the scale of the damages could increase further.

A police official stated, "Complaints are still being filed," adding, "We have referred the case to the prosecution by consolidating some of the damage reports first, and we plan to make additional referrals as we confirm further charges through continued investigation of Park."

Police plan to investigate whether there were any accomplices and, regarding the evidence that Park impersonated a young female influencer, whether he stole photos of an actual person.

"Given the scale of the damage, we are considering applying charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes," the police emphasized, adding, "We will hold him strictly accountable for his illegal activities."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.