[Fraud crime on the rise] ㉓Romance scams ‘This is how we should respond’… “Quick reporting, account suspension, securing evidence”

“If you delay reporting due to shame, recovery will be difficult… the victim may become an accomplice.”
“Another trap of ‘pay a fee and get a refund’, you must not respond to the request for additional remittance.”

As it became known that a college student in his 20s went to Cambodia to attend an expo and was found tortured to death last August, the crimes of kidnapping and confinement of Koreans in Cambodia are coming to light one after another. Most of the crimes that occur locally are controlled by Chinese criminal organizations. They are committing crimes in the form of online fraud.

Romance scams are one of the crimes they commit and have recently been spreading rapidly in Korea.

◆ “I thought it was love”… Romance scam damage reached 84.7 billion won in 8 months

According to the National Police Agency on the 19th, damage from romance scams increased rapidly from 1,265 cases and 67.5 billion won in February to December last year to 1,357 cases and 84.7 billion won in January to August this year. In terms of damage, it increased by more than 25%, exceeding last year's total in just eight months.

There are various ways to build trust before committing a crime. They use religion to make the relationship feel like fate by saying, “God knows everything,” or they make the relationship special and valuable by saying, “I will be loyal to you” or “I will not disappoint you.” Ask personal and thoughtful questions, such as “How is your husband’s health?” It is about creating the perception that you are not just a conversation partner, but that you ‘understand’.

There are many ways to extort money. “Terrorists have come to attack my camp. I need money,” “I want to come to you as soon as possible. Please give me the money needed to enter the country,” and “There is a good investment place, so I will introduce it to you.”

As it is a crime based on trust, victims sometimes experience aftereffects such as shame, self-blame, and social phobia after learning of the damage. In some cases, people hesitate to report because it is difficult to state the facts of the damage.

◆ “If you hide it because you’re embarrassed, you won’t be able to find the damages”… How to respond to romance scams according to experts

Experts advised that if you have become a victim of a romance scam, you should respond immediately.

The first thing you need to do is freeze your account. Lawyer Shin Yong-hoon (Daeryun Law Firm) said, "You must contact the bank of the account you transferred money from and immediately suspend the use of the account. Since the account in question often has a Buddhist or canon account holder and money is withdrawn quickly, you must request prompt action from the bank."

Evidence to be submitted to the investigative agency must include deposit details and conversation details exchanged with the other party. Attorney Dong-Hyeon Oh (New Royer Law Office) explained, “You can check the transaction confirmation or transfer confirmation on the banking app, and you can also obtain it directly from the bank,” adding, “You can submit the transfer details and the text messages or contact details exchanged with the other party of the romance scam to the investigative agency.”

Attorney Shin added, “In a fraud case, what matters is what I was deceived into giving money to.”

We must also be careful of additional damage that takes advantage of the victim's psychology. Attorney Oh emphasized, “There are cases where people are encouraged to make additional deposits by saying, ‘If you deposit the fee, the money can be refunded.’ It is best to cut off communication with the perpetrator of the romance scam, but even if it is difficult, you should never comply with the other party’s demands.”

What is more serious is that the victim may become involved in the crime. Among the cases handled by Attorney Oh, there was one where the victim of a romance scam became an accomplice in a voice phishing crime. They took the victim's bankbook name and password, saying, "To recover the damage, you need the bankbook name." This victim unknowingly became a perpetrator involved in a voice phishing crime.

Attorney Oh said, "Romance scam gang members do not only commit one crime, so they can lead victims to become accomplices," and added, "Not only money, but also information that only the individual knows, such as name and bank account password, should not be handed over."

Prompt reporting of damage was also emphasized. Attorney Shin emphasized, “If you hesitate to report it due to shame, the chances of recovering damages will further decrease,” and “If you do not even report it, the victim will have no choice but to bear the entire damage.”

Attorney Oh said, “Damages may be recovered through criminal charges and, in some cases, civil lawsuits.”

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[Surge in fraud] ㉓Romance scams 'This is how we should respond'... "Quick reporting, account suspension, securing evidence" (Shortcut)