How a romance scam begins
The person approaching you often claims to be a soldier deployed overseas, a doctor, an engineer, or an ethnic Korean doing business abroad. They win your heart by contacting you every day for weeks or months.
Money comes up in two main ways. One is luring you to a crypto or gold trading site to invest together; the other is asking for shipping fees, customs fees, or a deposit because a gift they sent is held at customs or they need money to come to Korea.
Many victims find it hard to doubt the other person even after realizing they were deceived. We fully understand that feeling. Still, we must tell you that time is the biggest factor in recovering your money.
The key is where the money arrived
If you sent money to an overseas bank account or an overseas remittance company, recovery is difficult, because the powers of Korean investigative agencies and courts hardly reach there.
In practice, however, there are many cases where a Korean individual or corporate account is used as the destination, with someone posing as a customs agent or delivery company employee giving you a Korean account number. In that case, a path opens to sue the account holder for damages and to block disposal of their assets through provisional attachment.
Steps to take
- Stop sending money and request payment suspensionDo not accept demands for more money, and apply for payment suspension at the bank you sent money from.
- Save the conversations and profileKeep all messenger conversations, the other person's profile photos, and any images of ID or shipping documents they sent. You must hurry before they delete their account.
- Sort out Korean accounts and identify the holdersPick out the Korean accounts from your transfer history and confirm the account holders.
- Pursue criminal and civil procedures togetherWhile filing a criminal complaint, we pursue provisional attachment and damages against the account holders.
Frequently Asked Questions
The other person is a foreigner. Can I still file a criminal complaint?
It has been over a year since I sent the money. Is it too late?
I was too ashamed to tell even my family.
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Read more →Written on the basis of Korean statutes in force (National Law Information Center, Ministry of Government Legislation) and court precedents as of October 20, 2026. Results may differ with amendments to the law or the facts of each case. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Written and reviewed by Attorney Dongwoo Shin — Ph.D. in Law; certified criminal law specialist and certified divorce law specialist registered with the Korean Bar Association. He handles each case personally from consultation to judgment. About the attorney →
Last updated October 20, 2026
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