Men who preyed on female regulars at disco ride extort W36m

Two men who worked as DJs at a disco ride attraction have been caught after befriending female customers and manipulating them into taking out loans and opening high-end phone contracts, then pocketing tens of millions of won.

The Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station said Friday it had referred one suspect, identified only as A, 29, to prosecutors under detention and another, B, 29, without detention, both on fraud charges.

A and B are accused of defrauding two women they met while working as DJs at a disco ride venue in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, between July and December last year, stealing a total of 36 million won ($26,100).

According to police, the two friends targeted female customers of similar age at disco ride venues across Incheon and Gyeonggi Province while working there as DJs.

They approached their targets with displays of warmth and affection, then maintained contact through Instagram and other social media to build trust. They then lured the victims with promises that following their instructions would earn them money and cover living expenses, persuading them to take out online loans, make small payments or sign up for expensive smartphone plans, investigators found.

The suspects collected the loan proceeds, payment amounts and newly activated phones from the victims and kept everything for themselves. The phones were sold on the open market for cash, police said.

Most of the victims were young people early in their working lives. Police said the fraud left them saddled with loan repayments and phone bills they could barely afford, and in some cases the debt burden extended to their families.

Police identified A through victim testimony and arrested him on Aug. 18. They confirmed B's involvement and booked him without detention on Friday.

"This case exploited the vulnerability of the victims and imposed a severe financial burden on them," a police official said. "We will respond strictly in accordance with the law when it comes to crimes targeting society's most vulnerable."