A man in 60s dies after falling victim to scam

A man in his 60s who lost tens of millions of won in a voice phishing scam took his own life about a month later, a fact revealed during a recent trial.

The Gwangju District Court’s Criminal Division 11, presided over by Judge Kim Song-hyun, on Tuesday sentenced 24-year-old Kim to two years in prison for violating the Act on Compensation for Communication Fraud Damage. He was immediately taken into custody.

Kim was convicted of collecting 20 million won in cash from a man in his 60s, surnamed Lee, in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, on Jan. 3 last year and delivering it to another member of a phishing ring in Gyeonggi Province. Over about a month, he helped steal a total of 230 million won from six victims in Gwangju, Jangseong in South Jeolla Province, Gunsan and Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, and Incheon.

The ring lured victims with false promises of low-interest loans and warnings that their personal information had been compromised. Members operated in coordinated roles, including masterminds, managers, call center operators, collectors, and recruiters.

To hire “collectors” like Kim, the group used online job sites and created a fake company website. Kim, then a job seeker, was tricked by a company claiming to sell screen golf equipment and delivered cash under the pretext of collecting payments. The business was later found to be a front for the phishing operation.

“The defendant participated while at least vaguely aware of the organization,” the court said. "The sentence reflected the large number of victims but also considered that Kim voluntarily provided evidence to police, admitted his role, and showed remorse despite financial difficulties."

During the trial, it was revealed that one of the six victims died by suicide following the fraud. The victim, identified as Lee, gave 20 million won to Kim and another 10 million won to a different collector the next day, losing a total of 30 million won. Facing financial difficulties, he kept the loss from his family and died by jumping from his apartment a month later in February. His family said he had suffered severe shock and despair after the voice phishing scam.


Hyeong-Ju Lee peneye09@donga.com