Man’s 6-Hour Joyride with Stolen Credit Card: Where Did He Spend His Money?

A man who went on a spending spree with a stolen credit card was apprehended by the police.

Recently, a video titled “What should we do, how should we handle this man who was caught while singing…” was uploaded on the official YouTube channel of the Seoul Police.

The video contains CCTV footage taken last month on the 24th near a convenience store and a karaoke room in Dobong-gu, Seoul.

On that day, the police received a report from a victim saying, “I lost my card, and someone keeps using it,” and visited the convenience store, the last place where the card was used.

While the police were identifying the suspect’s description from the convenience store’s CCTV footage, they received a call from the victim saying, “I just got a text that a payment has been made at OO Karaoke.” The police then rushed to the scene.

When the police stormed into the karaoke room, the suspect was obliviously singing, unaware that he was being chased.

The suspect, a man in his 40s, was arrested in the karaoke room. It was confirmed that he had stolen the victim’s card from a lost and found box at a self-service store.

The suspect had spent 700,000 won (approx. US$530) in 17 transactions over six hours after stealing the card. He had paid 80,000 won (approx. US$61) at the karaoke room, the last place where he made a payment.

According to Article 70 of the Specialized Credit Financial Business Act, anyone who unlawfully sells or uses a lost or stolen credit card can be sentenced to up to seven years in prison or fined up to 50 million won (approx. US$38,100).

Credit card companies can also claim damages from unauthorized users for losses incurred due to lost cards.