Man sentenced to prison for posing as elite consultant, defrauding parents of $72,000

A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to four months in prison for scamming parents out of approximately 100 million won (about $72,000 USD) by posing as an elite college admissions consultant. The court found him guilty of fraud.

The accused, identified as Mr. A, targeted 36 parents between April 2024 and March 2025, soliciting a total of 4.2 million won (around $3,000 USD) from five victims initially. He lured parents by presenting himself online as a consultant from a prestigious university who ran a college research institute.

While he did provide some consulting services to a few victims early on, he soon disappeared and cut off contact. Investigations revealed that his claimed academic background was false, and the research institute he claimed to operate did not exist. The court noted that Mr. A was unemployed and had personal debts amounting to millions of won, using the defrauded money for his living expenses.

This is not the first time Mr. A has been involved in such a scheme. He was previously arrested and indicted for similar fraudulent activities, receiving a sentence of one year and two months in prison in October 2023, with the sentence finalized in February of this year. The court emphasized that the victims have not recovered their losses and have not forgiven the defendant, citing these factors in determining the sentence, along with his age, motive, and the circumstances of the crime.

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The victims' losses have not been recovered, and the defendant has not been forgiven by the victims. The sentence was determined by considering the defendant's age, motive for the crime, and the circumstances.