Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Concert Ticket Fraud Involving Famous Celebrities

A man in his 30s has been handed a six-year prison sentence for defrauding approximately 600 million won by posting false messages on a second-hand trading site, claiming to sell concert tickets for well-known celebrities like singer Lim Young Woong, IU, and the group BLACKPINK.

According to the legal community on January 16 KST, Mr. Kim (30), who faced charges of fraud, received his sentence from Judge Lee Jong Min of the 3rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court.

The court's decision was based on the severity of Mr. Kim's crime, the significant number of victims, and the substantial amount of damage caused. Despite facing indictment and trial for fraud, Mr. Kim continued his fraudulent activities, using the proceeds for gambling and cryptocurrency investments, leading to a more severe penalty.

In October 2022, Mr. Kim deceived a victim by promising to provide BLACKPINK concert tickets in exchange for the victim sending him the sales proceeds. However, he only received 650,000 won and never delivered the tickets. In November of the same year, Mr. Kim employed a similar method to sell Lim Young Woong's concert tickets and stole 450,000 won.

Mr. Kim's fraudulent activities persisted. In May and August of the following year, he claimed to sell Lim Young Woong's concert tickets, ultimately luring approximately 216 million won from 80 victims.

Additionally, Mr. Kim created open messenger chat rooms to facilitate the transfer of concert tickets for artists like Lim Young Woong and IU. In doing so, he acquired credit card information from victims and audaciously obtained credit card loans. He would inform the victims that the loan cancellation amount had been deposited and requested that they send it to him. In this manner, Mr. Kim obtained approximately 59.1 million won in 51 installments.

The total amount of proceeds from Mr. Kim's fraudulent activities, collected from 31 victims, reached 595.44 million won.

Netizens reacting to Mr. Kim's six-year prison sentence expressed their outrage, commenting on his audacity to apply for credit card loans after obtaining victims' card information and the need for him to repay all the ill-gotten money. Many questioned why he chose to lead such a criminal life and urged him to reform his behavior.