Man in His 30s Sentenced to Prison for 'Secondary Scams' Targeting Fraud Victims

A man in his 30s has been sentenced to prison for exploiting the desperate situations of fraud victims to commit secondary scams.

The Incheon District Court, presided over by Judge Kang Seong-young of the 8th Criminal Division, announced on Monday (June 22) that it had sentenced the defendant, identified as A (30), to four years in prison on charges of fraud.

A was indicted on charges of deceiving eight fraud victims and swindling approximately 390 million won between April 30 and December 7 of last year.

Investigations revealed that he entered open chat rooms where victims of investment fraud and other scams had gathered, falsely claiming, "If you pay a retainer fee, I will help you recover the money lost to a certain company."

In another instance, he targeted a victim who had suffered losses due to an impersonation website, lying to them by saying, "The developers of that impersonation site are my clients; if you make an advance payment, I will check if it is possible to contact them."

A had previously been sentenced to three years in prison and fined 1 million won for fraud in June 2023, and had been released from prison last year.

Judge Kang stated, "The defendant committed similar crimes 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 judge further explained the sentencing, noting, "Despite the fraud amount reaching 390 million won, the damages have not been fully recovered to this day, and the defendant has not been forgiven by the victims."

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