How a Dating App Match Scammed $660K from a Lover

Unemployed man who deceitfully swindled money from his girlfriend
Totaling 29 times and embezzling 883.21 million won (about US$660K)

A man in his 30s who scammed a woman he met through a blind dating app out of approximately 880 million won (about US$660K) a trial.

 

According to the report by Newsis on the 6th, a judge from the 15th Criminal Division of the Incheon District Court sentenced Mr. A (36), who was indicted on charges of fraud, to four years in prison.

According to the report, Mr. A was indicted on charges of embezzling 883.21 million won from Ms. B, with whom he had been in a relationship from March 12, 2021, to November 4.

Mr. A met Ms. B through a blind dating app in February 2019. He lied to her, saying, “I live in Tower Palace in Gangnam-gu, Seoul,” and “I work in management at Incheon Airport Corporation after studying abroad in the UK.”

Afterward, Mr. A gained Ms. B’s favor, and they started dating.

However, Mr. A started scamming money from Ms. B by making up lies. It was revealed that Mr. A lied, saying, “I lost my wallet and got a private loan, but if you lend me 10 million won (about US$7,500) first, I will pay it back all at once” and “I joined a pension plan that only benefits Incheon Airport Corporation executives, but I need to fill in the initial amount, so please send me the lacking 278 million won (about US$208K).”

During this process, Mr. A forged a photo of a bank account statement showing 3 billion won (about US$2,250) to show to Ms. B.

 

Mr. A’s lies were soon exposed. On the same day, Hankook Ilbo reported, “Mr. A was not an employee of Incheon Airport Corporation, and everything about his occupation and address was a lie,” and “During their approximately 8-month relationship, Ms. B lent Mr. A approximately 880 million won but only received 10 million won back.”

In response, the judge stated, “Mr. A actively deceived the victim with absurd lies about his occupation, wealth, etc., and repeatedly embezzled money for a considerable period of time.”

The judge also explained, “Even though the amount of damage exceeds 880 million won, only 10 million won of the damage has been returned, and the victim, who is a young adult, has almost lost all of her assets,” and “She suffered serious damage, including being pressured by acquaintances who borrowed money to give it to Mr. A.”

However, the judge added, “Considering that Mr. A admitted to the crime, showed remorse, and has no previous criminal record, a lenient sentence will be imposed.”

Meanwhile, under the current law, the penalty for fraud is imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of up to 20 million won (about US$15,000). However, if the amount of gain from the fraud exceeds 500 million won (about US$375K), according to the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, a prison sentence of at least 3 years can be imposed for amounts between 500 million won and less than 5 billion won (about US$3.7 million).

By. Kang Bo Ra (dyj02033@wikitree.co.kr)