World · East Asia & Pacific · 2 hrs ago
South Korean Lotto scam leader sentenced to seven years in prison
A court in Incheon, South Korea, sentenced a lottery scam leader to seven years in prison.
The 33-year-old man was convicted of fraud and organizing a criminal group.
From April 2021 to August 2023, his group took about 66.24 billion won in roughly 14,000 transactions.
The group claimed it could predict winning Lotto numbers using an analysis system, but the numbers it supplied were chosen at random.
It falsely told customers they had predicted second- or third-prize numbers and encouraged them to pay for higher membership levels.
The judge said the organized fraud and large losses made the crimes serious, while also noting the man’s remorse and that some victims did not seek punishment after receiving money back.
The court has handed down a seven-year prison sentence; no further steps were stated.
A South Korean court sentenced the leader of a lottery scam to seven years in prison.
The leader was convicted of defrauding members of about 6.624 billion won through roughly 14,000 transactions.
The scam operated from April 2021 to August 2023 from an office in Michuhol-gu, Incheon.
The group falsely claimed its system could predict winning lottery numbers and used randomly selected numbers.
The court said the crime was organized and caused substantial losses, while also citing the leader’s remorse and some victims’ opposition to punishment.
- Who
- The 33-year-old leader of the scam, identified only as A.
- What
- He was sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud and organizing a criminal group.
- When
- The sentence was announced on November 1, 2026.
- Where
- Incheon District Court, South Korea. The scam operated from an office in Michuhol-gu, Incheon.
- Why
- He led a scheme that falsely claimed to predict lottery numbers and defrauded members.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The group operated from an office in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, and defrauded members through about 14,000 transactions.
Incheon District Court sentenced the scam leader to seven years in prison.
- Sentence
- Seven years in prison
- Amount defrauded
- 6.624 billion won
- Transactions
- About 14,000
- Scam period
- April 2021–August 2023
- Office location
- Michuhol-gu, Incheon
1 source
What people are saying
The defendant's crime was very serious, and his responsibility is heavy because he committed fraud in an organized way and the amount of damage was large.
The court considered that the defendant is remorseful and that some victims who received their money back do not want him punished.