"Both Seller and Buyer Deceived"... 20s Man Sentenced to Prison for Three-Party Used Car Scam

Chuncheon District Court Sentences Defendant to 10 Months in Prison

Accomplices Divided Roles to Carry Out Organized Crime

A man in his 20s has been sentenced to prison for orchestrating a so-called "three-party scam" in which both the seller and buyer were deceived during a used car transaction.

According to Yonhap News on June 13, the Criminal Division 1 Single Judge (Presiding Judge Jeong Jonggeon) at the Chuncheon District Court sentenced Mr. A (26), who was indicted on fraud charges, to 10 months in prison. The court also ordered him to pay 49 million won in compensation to the victim, having accepted the victim's claim for damages.

Front View of Chuncheon District Court

Between April and May 2023, Mr. A conspired with accomplices to exploit the information asymmetry between sellers and buyers in used car transactions in order to steal money. First, they checked the price at which a used car seller wanted to sell, then approached the seller pretending to be actual buyers. At the same time, they lured a separate victim by falsely offering to sell the vehicle at a price lower than the seller's desired amount, thereby inducing a contract.

After the buyer transferred the vehicle payment to the seller's account, Mr. A and his accomplices used the so-called "three-party used car scam" by telling the seller that the money was sent by mistake and demanding that it be returned to a designated account, thereby stealing the funds.

Mr. A and his accomplices divided roles in an organized manner. Accomplice B was responsible for approaching both the prospective buyer and the actual car owner, while C obtained and delivered vehicle photos and the vehicle registration certificate to the victim. Accomplice D provided the account into which the criminal proceeds would be transferred.

On May 23, 2023, B, through KakaoTalk, proposed selling an imported car to the victim who wanted to buy a car for 50 million won. At the same time, B approached the actual vehicle owner pretending to be a buyer and falsely offered to purchase the imported car for 55 million won. C then met the vehicle owner, took photos of the car and the registration certificate, and sent them to the victim. However, it was revealed that Mr. A and his team never intended or were able to sell the vehicle and had planned the crime with the intent to steal money from the victim from the outset.

The victim, who wanted to buy the car, transferred 50 million won on May 24, 2023, to the account in the name of the actual car owner as the payment for the vehicle. The car owner, noticing that the amount was 5 million won less than the desired selling price, protested. Subsequently, at the request for a refund, the owner transferred 49 million won to an account in D's name, which was then stolen by the perpetrators.

The court explained its sentencing by stating, "The defendant has admitted to the crime," but added, "The amount defrauded was substantial and the damage has not been compensated."

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