South Korea Police Bust Fake ‘Lottery-Prediction’ Network
Ten members of a gang who assured credulous victims they had a foolproof system to forecast winning lottery numbers have been apprehended by South Korean authorities, according to local media.
According to Busan Seo-bu Police on Friday, the gang used the get-rich-quick scam to defraud 27 victims out of 1.2 billion Korean won (US$814K) over three years. They are all being prosecuted under the Specific Economic Crimes Aggravated Punishment Act.
Three members, including the alleged ringleader, a guy in his 30s known only as "A," have been charged with fraud under the Special Act on the Punishment of Lotteries and are still being held.
Unbelievable Claims
The gang operated four websites promoting its absurd promise to provide jackpot-winning lottery numbers, but only in exchange for an upfront payment. They explained to the victims that the funds were required to lobby the Donghaeng Lottery and make "special balls," justifications that are unclear from local accounts.
According to authorities, individual losses ranged from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of Korean won, with the majority of victims being in their 40s to 60s.
In South Korea, there have been more reports of these schemes. The Incheon District Court sentenced the operator of another phony lottery prediction website to 12 years in prison in April for cheating victims out of over 40 billion won ($28 million) over a two-year period.
52 persons were paid by the scheme's creator to manage a website that falsely claimed to offer lottery numbers determined by science.
"Prediction Engine for Lottery Numbers"
The group claimed to have a "lottery number prediction engine" that used mathematical analysis to find winning combinations. The prediction engine was completely made up, and the numbers were actually generated at random.
In order to make it appear as though their prediction engine had been correct, the fraudsters even uploaded their projected numbers after the actual draw.
Scammers typically use fictitious winning numbers or (made) testimonies from past "winners" to keep their victims persuaded. If you don't win, they might even lie and offer a refund.
In the end, there is no way to beat the lottery, which is a game of pure chance, unless you buy every possible combination of winning tickets (which is only profitable under the proper circumstances).
“Numbers arbitrarily generated and sent as ‘first-prize lottery numbers’ have an extremely low chance of actually winning. People should not fall for the sweet temptation of guaranteed wins,” a Busan Seo-bu Police spokesperson warned.
