A South Korean woman was recently sentenced to 2 years in prison for stealing nearly 500,000 USD in cryptocurrency and cash from her boyfriend's account while he was sleeping. The incident not only shocked Jeju Island, where it occurred, but also continues to ring alarm bells about the rising wave of crypto-related crime globally.
Stealing money while boyfriend sleeps
The woman, identified only as 'A', around 40 years old, secretly transferred 683 million won (approximately 488,000 USD) in cryptocurrency from her boyfriend's wallet to her personal wallet on January 5 of this year. Additionally, she stole a phone and 2 million won in cash (1,430 USD) while her boyfriend was sleeping, bringing the total stolen assets to around 685 million won (~489,000 USD).
Although she admitted to all actions in court in Jeju, the defense lawyer claimed that most of the money had been returned, and the actual damage was only about 15,600 USD. However, the court did not accept leniency, citing the large amount originally embezzled, along with the fact that the defendant had previously committed fraud twice and was on trial in another case at the same time.
Crypto crime is rampant in Jeju and globally
The case of 'A' is just a small part of the dark picture of cryptocurrency crime:
In February in #Jeju , a man in his 30s was stabbed to death in a hotel after coming to the island to conduct personal crypto trading.
4 Chinese citizens were arrested for stealing 85 million won (63,000 USD) from a trader and then fleeing.
A few weeks later, 6 other Chinese individuals were arrested for stealing 840 million won (610,000 USD) from 2 other investors after a violent altercation.
Also that month in Florida (#usa ), Maissa Jebali, 22, was charged with stealing 850,000 USD in Trump-themed meme coins from her ex-boyfriend during an argument on a yacht.
Contact with the crypto market and Binance users
This event highlights an undeniable fact: crypto not only offers profitable investment opportunities but also carries security, legal, and even life risks. With decentralized transactions, Binance users and crypto investors must be especially careful with P2P (peer-to-peer) transactions, personal wallet security, login information, and absolutely not share devices with others.
Risk warning: The incidents of theft, fraud, and violence related to cryptocurrency are on the rise. Crypto investment requires technical knowledge and personal security skills. One should not invest beyond their risk tolerance and be cautious in both transactions and personal relationships involving digital assets.
