You may need a consultation if
- You took a field or collection job you saw on a job site, received and passed on cash, and the police contacted you
- You followed instructions to split the cash you received and deposit it into several accounts at an ATM
- You were told to introduce yourself as a financial institution employee and collect money
- You withdrew money that came into your account, or converted it to crypto and sent it on
- A family member was arrested on the spot, and you were told a detention warrant may be requested
Relevant Laws
Criminal Act (형법) Article 347 (Fraud)
A person who deceives another and obtains property or a financial benefit is punished by up to 20 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to KRW 50 million (amended December 23, 2025). A person who received and passed on the money can also be punished as a co-principal (공동정범, Article 30) or an accessory (방조범, Article 32), and an accessory's sentence is lighter than the principal's.
Special Act on the Prevention of Telecommunications Financial Fraud and Refund of Damaged Assets (전기통신금융사기 피해 방지 및 피해자산 환급에 관한 특별법) Article 15-2
Using telecommunications to deceive or frighten people into sending or transferring money, handing it over directly or withdrawing it is punished by imprisonment for a fixed term of 1 year or more or a fine of 3 to 5 times the criminal proceeds, and both can be imposed together. Attempts are also punished.
Article 17-2 of the same Act (Reduction or Exemption of Punishment)
If you provide statements or materials during the investigation or trial that reveal others' crimes, or give information leading to the capture of offenders or on criminal proceeds, the sentence can be reduced or waived. This was introduced on September 8, 2026, and also applies to cases under investigation or on trial at that time.
Statutes are summarized. The official Korean text is available at the Korea Law Information Center (law.go.kr).
Saying you didn't know is not enough
Even if you did not know for certain it was voice phishing, courts find intent if you thought it might be illegal and kept doing the work anyway. So rather than repeating that you didn't know, you need to show with materials why you believed it was a legitimate job at the time.
The circumstances investigators look at are generally similar. They ask whether you were hired only through a messenger app without an interview or employment contract, whether the pay was far too high for the work, whether you were told to pose as someone else or delete chat rooms, and whether you split the cash into ATM deposits.
Even one time does not end lightly
Cash collectors meet victims in person, so they are identified first, and if they went out several times or the amounts were large, a detention warrant may be requested after arrest. If the scope of the conspiracy is read broadly, the charges may include losses you never received yourself, so you must dispute precisely what you did and from when to when.
Making up for the harm weighs heavily in sentencing. If there are several victims, we consider a settlement or a criminal deposit (형사공탁) for each victim, and if you have statements or materials that help capture members of the ring or trace criminal proceeds, we also look at the sentence reduction provision.
Leave your phone and chat records as they are
If you get scared and delete Telegram chats or reset your phone, you will be suspected of trying to destroy evidence, which can become grounds for detention. Job ad screenshots, company introduction materials, instruction messages and records of pay deposits, if kept, can actually show that you were used.
If your phone was seized, you can request to take part in the forensic examination and check what data is extracted.
Factors That Affect the Outcome and Sentence
Factors that work against you
- · Collected cash many times, in large amounts
- · Posed as a financial institution employee or investigator
- · Deleted chat records or reset the phone
- · Shared in the profits, such as commission in proportion to amounts collected
- · Kept going despite reasons to be suspicious
Factors that work in your favor
- · Records of being hired through a legitimate job platform and receiving company materials
- · Only once or over a short period
- · Pay at the level of a daily wage or travel expenses
- · Quit or reported it on your own after sensing something was wrong
- · Making up for the harm or a criminal deposit
- · Cooperating with the investigation and providing information about the ring
How Jisan Law's Criminal Law Center Responds
- 1
Consultation with the managing partner
We hear everything in date order, from how you were recruited to the last collection, and separate what to dispute from what to admit.
- 2
Preserving and organizing materials
We secure the job ads, messenger chats and deposit and withdrawal records in their original form, and make a table of the period and number of times you worked.
- 3
Mock questioning and sitting in
We practice in advance with questions about intent, go into the interview room with you, and object on the spot to leading questions.
- 4
Responding to arrest and detention
If you were arrested, we visit to check the situation, attend the pre-detention hearing (영장실질심사) and explain that there is no risk of flight or destroying evidence.
- 5
Written opinion and restitution
We submit a written opinion disputing the scope of involvement and intent, and for the parts you admit, consider a settlement or criminal deposit for each victim.
Lawyers handling these cases
Hansol Kim Managing Partner
Former prosecutor at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office and the Hongseong Branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office
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Bonwoo Koo Managing Partner
Economic criminal cases such as Capital Markets Act violations, investment fraud, embezzlement and breach of trust
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Frequently asked questions
I only received money and passed it on. Can I be an accomplice to fraud?
Yes. Collecting and delivering is the stage where the victims' money is actually obtained, so it is often treated as co-principal liability, and if your role is found to be minor, you may be judged an accessory. Either way, to avoid punishment you need to show with materials that you had no intent.
If I return the money to the victims, will the punishment be reduced?
Making up for the harm weighs heavily in the decision and sentence. However, this is not a crime where the case ends just because the victim does not want punishment. If you cannot reach the victim, you can consider a criminal deposit.
I've been asked to appear, but they keep contacting me.
Stop following their instructions, and keep the messages instead of deleting them. The contact itself can be material showing that the ring exists and that you were used. It is better to decide with your lawyer before questioning which materials to submit and when.