30s Man with 8 Criminal Convictions Sentenced for Scamming Women Met on Dating App

Posing as Investment Experts, Committing Fraud by Playing 'Two Roles' to Embezzle Funds

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man with eight prior convictions for fraud, who approached women he met on a matchmaking app and gave them contact information while claiming he would introduce them to an investment expert, playing 'two roles' to extort money, was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

According to the legal community on the 12th, Im Gwangho, presiding judge of Criminal Division 20 at the Seoul Central District Court, recently sentenced A (31, male), who was indicted on fraud charges, to 2 years and 6 months in prison.

The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "He formed trust relationships through a chatting app and exploited them to defraud money from five victims, which is a very serious offense. He has eight prior convictions for fraud, including two prison sentences, and repeatedly committed crimes using the same method. He resumed criminal activity immediately after release and has not compensated for the damages at all."

Earlier, A was brought to trial on charges of defrauding a total of about 84.5 million won from five women he met through matchmaking and chatting apps over approximately seven months starting in May last year, using investment as bait. He used the alias 'C' to meet each woman, then gave them contact information while claiming to know an investment expert, and when the women contacted the number, he acted as if he himself was that investment expert, according to the investigation.

A pretended to be an investment expert, saying, "You can do couple investments with C (his alias), and if you invest money, you will receive profits," but the investment company he claimed to belong to did not exist, and he had neither the intention nor the ability to provide investment returns. It was revealed that A committed these crimes less than a month after being released from prison for a previous fraud conviction.

In court, A's defense attorney pleaded for leniency, stating, "The defendant admitted all charges, showed remorse, and cooperated with the investigation," and added, "His economic situation was poor as his delivery logistics work was suspended due to COVID-19 until March." A himself said, "I have nothing to say except that I am sorry to the victims."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.