"Pay for My Broken Phone": Man Arrested for Scamming 13.7 Million Won Through Fake Traffic Accidents

The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency announced today (June 25) that it has arrested a man in his 20s, identified as A, on charges of fraud for habitually staging fake traffic accidents to extort over 10 million won in settlement money under the pretext of smartphone repair costs.

A is accused of staging 55 fake accidents between September of last year and April of this year. He would loiter on back roads in the Daejeon area and intentionally strike his wrist against the side mirrors of passing vehicles—a method known as "wrist-hitting"—before demanding settlement money, totaling 13.7 million won.

Investigations revealed that after intentionally causing the accidents, he would tell drivers that the impact caused him to drop and break his smartphone, demanding between 100,000 and 500,000 won for repairs.

A confessed to the crimes during police questioning, stating, "I committed the crimes to pay off debts from online gambling."

A police official stated, "We will continue to actively investigate those who extort settlement and insurance money through fake traffic accidents to minimize harm to citizens."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.