A woman in her 20s was sentenced to a suspended prison term after she exploited the return policy of a fresh food delivery service, ordering 1,638 products over four months and returning them to pocket profits worth 32 million won.
According to the legal community on the 3rd, Director General Ryu Kyung-jin of the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the defendant, identified as A, to 8 months in prison, with a 2-year suspension, and ordered 120 hours of community service. A was charged with fraud for ordering products such as milk and butter through Coupang's fresh food delivery service, Rocket Fresh, 1,683 times between Nov. 30, 2023, and Apr. 1, 2024, and requesting returns to illicitly obtain 31,856,030 won.
A exploited a policy in which Coupang requests the disposal of the product without recovering it when a return is applied due to product defects or delivery issues, resulting in these crimes. Reportedly, there were no issues with the quality of the products ordered by A.
The court noted, "The defendant told third parties that they could order fresh, frozen, and refrigerated products from the victim company at discounted prices, received money from them, then placed the orders to the victim company, and finally applied for returns after delivery was completed, thereby unlawfully obtaining gift certificates," and pointed out that "the method was premeditated."
The court stated, "The defendant has deposited 10 million won to compensate the victim company, showing an effort to recover damages, but significant losses remain unrecovered," adding that "the method was premeditated and the nature of the crime is not light."