Bank Teller, Police Foil $19,400 Romance Scam Targeting Elderly Woman in Seoul
Seoul, South Korea – A woman in her 70s nearly fell victim to a romance scam orchestrated by a fraudster posing as a U.S. soldier, but quick action by a bank teller and local police prevented the loss of nearly 27 million won ($19,400), authorities said.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the intervention unfolded on the morning of Sept. 8, when the agency’s Mobile Patrol Division received an urgent call from a bank in Geumcheon District, southern Seoul. A teller had grown suspicious of a customer attempting to wire a large sum overseas.
The customer, who lives alone, had been exchanging messages with a man claiming he was preparing to retire from the U.S. military. The scammer allegedly told her he intended to move to Korea to marry her and repeatedly requested funds to cover shipping costs and travel expenses.
When she arrived at the bank to complete the transfer, her unusual behavior caught the attention of the teller, who quickly alerted police.
Responding officers soon determined that the woman was being targeted in a romance scam – a type of fraud in which perpetrators spend weeks or months cultivating online relationships with victims before soliciting money under false pretenses, such as investments, shipping fees or fabricated emergencies.
The woman, however, initially resisted police warnings. “Why are you interfering when I want to send my money to my boyfriend?” she reportedly asked officers at the scene.
For nearly three hours, officers explained the mechanics of romance scams and presented her with examples of similar cases. Only then did she agree to abandon the transfer.
Police officials emphasized that the outcome reflected the importance of close coordination between law enforcement and financial institutions.
“Because we maintained close cooperation with financial institutions through active foot patrols, we were able to block the crime at an early stage,” an official with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. “Some scammers impersonate foreigners to establish trust and then demand payments for investments or shipping fees.”
Romance scams remain a persistent challenge in South Korea and beyond, with fraudsters increasingly turning to social media and messaging apps to identify and exploit vulnerable individuals.
