"District Office Employee"... 'Fake Social Worker' Targeting Elderly Living Alone Arrested and Referred to Prosecution

During the Lunar New Year holiday, a 'fake social worker' who impersonated a district office employee and broke into the homes of elderly people living alone to steal cash was handed over to the prosecution while in custody.

The Jongam Police Station in Seoul announced on the 6th that Mr. A had been arrested and referred to the prosecution on charges of habitual theft.

A suspect impersonating a district office employee approaches an elderly person walking alone and moves together to the residence. Jongam Police Station, Seoul

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According to the police, Mr. A is accused of impersonating a welfare department employee of the district office and approaching elderly individuals in the Seongbuk-gu area of Seoul before and after the Lunar New Year holiday last month, then stealing cash from their residences and fleeing.

It was found that Mr. A distracted the victims by saying, "I would like to have a cup of coffee," and proceeded to steal banknotes from bags and wallets left in the living room, committing these crimes on three separate occasions.

As reports of similar crimes continued, the police combined the cases and traced Mr. A's movements through CCTV analysis. They then identified the motel room where Mr. A was hiding and apprehended him after a stakeout. At the time of arrest, Mr. A was carrying 500,000 won in cash that he had stolen from another elderly victim earlier that morning, and he confessed to all of his crimes during police questioning.

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Ryu Kyungsook, Chief of Jongam Police Station, stated, "Since impersonation crimes targeting the elderly and other vulnerable groups are frequent, we will strengthen preventive efforts in cooperation with the local community," and urged, "Elderly citizens should be wary of unfamiliar visitors and immediately request police assistance if they find themselves in a suspicious situation."

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