Man in his 20s indicted on charges of extorting 22 million won in repair fees

Deliberately collided with passersby to demand iPhone repair costs

Defrauded 38 victims of 22 million won over five months

Fled after arrest warrant filed, caught in another region

Surveillance footage shows a man in his 20s, identified only as A, deliberately bumping into passersby at shopping malls and subway stations to demand mobile phone repair fees. He is seen picking up his phone after a collision. [Seoul Songpa Police Station]
Surveillance footage shows a man in his 20s, identified only as A, deliberately bumping into passersby at shopping malls and subway stations to demand mobile phone repair fees. He is seen picking up his phone after a collision. [Seoul Songpa Police Station]

A man in his 20s, identified only as A, has been arrested for repeatedly staging collisions with pedestrians at large shopping malls in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and then demanding payment for phone repairs. He carried out the scheme against 38 victims, extorting a total of about 22 million won ($16,400).

The Seoul Songpa Police Station said Friday it had arrested A and referred him to prosecutors on fraud charges after he knocked into passersby, dropped his phone and collected repair money from them. He targeted crowded venues such as large shopping malls to carry out the scheme.

Footage released by police shows A wandering through a mall with a phone in his hand, deliberately bumping into a passerby and dropping the device. He then followed the pedestrian to show them the damaged phone.

According to police, A had prepared a pre-broken phone and used it to make victims believe the damage had been caused by the collision. He also specifically used an Apple iPhone, which carries relatively high repair costs.

Surveillance footage captures suspect A dropping his phone after deliberately colliding with a passerby. [Seoul Songpa Police Station]
Surveillance footage captures suspect A dropping his phone after deliberately colliding with a passerby. [Seoul Songpa Police Station]

A carried out the scheme against 38 people over roughly five months, collecting more than 22 million won in fraudulent repair fees. Police said most victims handed over the money without ever realizing they had been deceived.

The investigation began after one victim, who grew suspicious of A's behavior, filed a complaint with police. Officers quickly identified A and, suspecting the scheme had been repeated, uncovered 37 additional victims by analyzing bank transfer records. Police then applied for a pre-trial arrest warrant.

A, however, failed to appear for the court's warrant review hearing and fled. Police tracked him down at an undisclosed location outside Seoul and referred him to prosecutors on fraud charges on Thursday.

"We did not treat this as a minor complaint and investigated thoroughly, which allowed us to uncover additional victims of a sophisticated fraud that most people would not easily recognize," a police official said. "We urge the public to stay alert so that no one else falls victim to the same scheme."


20ki@heraldcorp.com