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Police arrest 20 for insurance fraud scheme in which delivery riders intentionally caused accidents

Published: 06 Feb. 2026, 15:57

A screenshot from footage released by the Seongdong Police Precinct shows accomplices of a ring of delivery drivers and acquaintances who deliberately caused traffic accidents in narrow alleys to collect insurance payouts. [SEONGDONG POLICE PRECINCT]

Delivery riders who have deliberately caused traffic accidents in narrow alleys without CCTV coverage and collected insurance payouts have been arrested by police.

The Seongdong Police Precinct in Seoul detained and forwarded to prosecutors a ringleader on charges of violating the Insurance Fraud Prevention Act, while 19 accomplices were indicted without detention, the precinct said on Friday.

The group, made up of high school juniors and seniors or friends, intentionally caused traffic accidents in the Seongdong District area of Seoul between August 2020 and January last year to collect insurance money, according to police.

They planned the crimes by targeting locations without CCTVs, where insurance companies tend not to closely examine the circumstances of accidents.

The group also operated in an organized manner by assigning roles such as the vehicle at fault, the victim vehicle and passengers. Some members even involved acquaintances, including romantic partners, in the schemes.

Police investigations found that the ringleader, who was detained last month, orchestrated the overall insurance fraud by assigning roles in staged accidents and recruiting accomplices.

The falsely claimed insurance payouts ranged from 3 million won ($2,050) to 10 million won per accident depending on the number of passengers. Police said the group collected a total of about 140 million won through 19 staged accidents over nearly five years.

Police launched an investigation last year after receiving tips about frequent similar accidents in the same area and arrested 16 suspects. An additional four suspects were later apprehended following further investigations in January this year and referred to prosecutors.

“We plan to respond strictly and continue our investigation, as these crimes can create innocent victims,” a Seongdong Police Precinct official said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SON SUNG-BAE [[email protected]]