Man in His 20s Sentenced to Prison for 'Triangular' Used Car Fraud

A man in his 20s has been sentenced to prison for orchestrating a "triangular fraud" scheme, in which he deceived both the seller and the buyer during a used car transaction to steal money.

On June 13, Judge Jeong Jong-geon of the Chuncheon District Court, presiding over the first criminal division, announced that A (26) was sentenced to 10 months in prison on charges of fraud.

The court also accepted the victim's compensation order application, mandating that the defendant pay 49 million won in restitution.

According to the indictment, A conspired with accomplices between April and May 2023 to exploit the information asymmetry between used car sellers and buyers to steal money.

The group first identified the price a seller was asking for their vehicle and approached them as if they were genuine buyers.

Simultaneously, they deceived another victim—the actual buyer—by offering to sell the vehicle at a price lower than what the seller was asking, inducing them to sign a contract.

They then employed a "triangular fraud" tactic: once the buyer transferred the payment to the seller's account, the group contacted the seller, claiming the money was sent by mistake, and demanded it be returned to a designated account, thereby siphoning off the funds.

The accomplices operated in an organized manner, dividing roles among themselves.

Accomplice B was responsible for approaching both the prospective buyer and the actual car owner, while C was tasked with obtaining photos of the vehicle and the vehicle registration certificate to send to the victim.

D provided the bank account to receive the proceeds of the crime.

A conspired with these accomplices in a sequential manner.

On May 23, 2023, B contacted a victim who wanted to purchase a car via KakaoTalk, offering to sell a foreign car for 50 million won.

At the same time, B approached the actual owner of the vehicle, posing as a buyer, and falsely claimed he would purchase the car for 55 million won.

Subsequently, C met with the car owner to photograph the vehicle and its registration, then forwarded these materials to the victim.

However, it was revealed that A and his accomplices had no intention or ability to sell the vehicle from the start and had planned the crime solely to defraud the victim.

Ultimately, on May 24, 2023, the victim transferred 50 million won to the account of the actual car owner as payment for the vehicle.

When the owner complained that the amount received was less than the desired selling price, the group convinced the owner to transfer 49 million won to D's account under the guise of a refund, which they then stole.

The court explained the sentencing, stating, "While the defendant has admitted to the crime, we have taken into account that the amount stolen is significant and that the damages have not been compensated."

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