South Korean court sentences 52 over fake lottery prediction website

The illegal operation scammed victims out of more than 40bn won (US$28m).

South Korea.- The Incheon District Court has sentenced the leader of a fake lottery prediction website to 12 years in prison. The illegal operation, active from January 2021 to April 2023, scammed victims out of more than 40bn won (US$28m), according to the court’s ruling on Thursday.

Some 52 people were involved in running a website that claimed to use a “lottery number prediction engine” that supposedly used advanced maths to forecast winning numbers, but numbers were randomly generated. The criminal organisation had a headquarters and nine branch offices, from which members coordinated efforts to scam victims.

According to prosecutors, every Saturday, the website would post the numbers it claimed its engine had predicted, and then alter them after the draw to mirror the actual results. The group claimed to offer full refunds if customers didn’t win. Describing their actions as highly malicious, the court noted that the group preyed on the hopes of those in financial hardship.

In addition to the prison sentence, the leader was ordered to forfeit 10.5bn won (US$7.3bn). The court also handed suspended prison sentences of one to two and a half years to 52 members of the group, including a team supervisor in his 30s. Some received fines.

The court ruled: “If the court fails to impose appropriate punishment, similar copycat crimes are likely to follow. The leader had prior convictions for fraud and drunk driving and carried out the operation while already being a repeat offender.”

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The illegal operation scammed victims out of more than 40bn won (US$28m). South Korea.- The Incheon District Court has sentenced the leader of a fake lottery prediction website to 12…