"Bump," Then "My Phone's Broken"... Man in His 20s Arrested for Scamming 22 Million Won in Repair Costs

Duped 38 passersby over five months... caught after a victim filed a complaint
Fled after skipping warrant hearing; caught after a police pursuit

A man in his 20s who allegedly deliberately bumped into passersby, dropped his cellphone, and collected tens of millions of won in purported repair costs has been arrested and sent to prosecutors.

Person A is picking up a dropped mobile phone after deliberately bumping into a passerby in a crowded area. Provided by the Songpa Police Station in Seoul.

Songpa Police Station in Seoul said on October 16 that it had arrested and sent a man in his 20s, identified as A, to prosecutors on fraud charges.

According to police, from January through June this year, A allegedly approached passersby in crowded places such as shopping malls, deliberately bumped into them, then dropped a cellphone he was carrying and demanded repair costs.

Police confirmed that 38 people were victims and that the total losses amounted to 22 million won. Most of the victims reportedly paid the repair costs without realizing the incidents had been deliberate.

Police launched an investigation after one victim grew suspicious and filed a complaint. They later identified the suspect and, after analyzing records including bank transfers, found additional victims and sought a pre-arrest warrant. A failed to appear for the court hearing to review the warrant and fled, but was apprehended after a search.

A police official said, "By thoroughly investigating the case rather than treating it as a simple complaint involving a small amount of money, we were able to prevent further victims." The official added, "We urge the public to exercise particular caution to avoid falling victim to similar crimes."

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