Fortune Teller Who Scammed by Saying "I'll Tell You the Lotto Numbers" Sentenced to Prison

"Your Mother Told You"
Profit Worth 326.4 Million Won

A shaman who deceived victims by claiming that their deceased mother had revealed lottery numbers and extorted hundreds of millions of won was sentenced to prison.

The Criminal Division 10 of the Seoul Western District Court (Judge Yoon Yang-ji) sentenced Jang, a man in his 60s, to four years in prison on charges of fraud.

Mudang archive photo. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

In April 2019, Jang told a victim, "Your mother has revealed five winning lottery numbers, but you need to receive one more number," and said, "To do so, a prayer must be performed, and a prayer fee is required," thereby embezzling 276.4 million won in cash and was brought to trial.

Additionally, it was investigated that he made the victim spend 50 million won at an interior design company operated by his brother-in-law, gaining a total benefit worth approximately 326.4 million won.

Most of the money extorted in this way was used to pay off his debts or for living expenses.

In court, Jang claimed that he received money under the name of a gut (shamanistic ritual) and prayer fees wishing for the victim's family's well-being and health, not under the pretext of lottery winnings, and that it was a legitimate transaction without intent to commit fraud.

However, Judge Yoon stated, "There is no objective evidence to support that a gut and prayer for the victim were performed at the time and place claimed by the defendant," and added, "The defendant deceived the victim by pretending to convey the mother's heart who cares for the victim, embezzling money under the pretext of prayer fees for lottery winnings. The defendant's guilt is very serious, and corresponding punishment is inevitable."

Furthermore, Jang was also found guilty of defrauding another victim in 2021 by borrowing money under the pretext of 'interest play,' promising to repay the principal plus interest, and extorting 319 million won.

This kind of interest play is a frequently mentioned fraud method used by shamans. In March last year, a shaman who embezzled money from a customer who came for a fortune-telling using the same method was sentenced to one year in prison.

The shaman embezzled about 150 million won from customers over ten occasions at a temple in Namdong-gu, Incheon, from November 2020 to February.

He deceived customers by saying, "There are businessmen believers who urgently need money," and "If you lend money to them, they will pay 5% interest monthly and repay the principal after six months," thereby embezzling money.

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