A man in his 20s who used artificial intelligence (AI) to doctor a bank account with only 23 won to make it appear to hold more than 900 million won and deceived a judge to avoid detention has been indicted and detained following a supplementary investigation by prosecutors.
The Criminal Division 3 of the Busan Dongbu District Prosecutors' Office (headed by Director General Kim Geon) said on the 11th that on the 6th it indicted and detained A (27) on charges of fraud, forging private documents and using forged private documents, and obstructing the performance of official duties by deceptive means, for swindling about 320 million won under the pretext of investment funds and submitting a false balance certificate to investigative authorities.
From Aug. to Oct. last year, A used AI to create fake images such as a pass certificate for the national medical licensing exam and records of cryptocurrency holdings, posing as a doctor and entrepreneur with assets worth several billions of won. A defrauded victims of 320 million won under the pretexts of cryptocurrency investment, cruise ship business investment, and expense for establishing a medical center.
The Suyeong Police Station in Busan applied for an arrest warrant for A on fraud charges on Dec. 18 last year, and the Busan Dongbu District Prosecutors' Office requested the warrant from the court. However, the judge dismissed the arrest warrant request on the 24th of the same month. That was because A submitted to the judge in charge of a pre-arrest interrogation (substantive warrant review) a deposits balance certificate showing a balance of "904,330,158 won" and promised to repay the damage by the 30th of the same month.
Without verifying the authenticity of the deposits balance certificate submitted to the court, the police forwarded A to the prosecution without detention on Jan. 19. Taking over the case, the Busan Dongbu District Prosecutors' Office launched a direct supplementary investigation and, through the bank's website certificate issuance inquiry, confirmed that the balance on the deposits balance certificate A submitted to the court did not match the actual account information, and applied for an account warrant. Using this method, prosecutors determined that A forged the deposits balance certificate, and on Jan. 29 obtained an arrest warrant for A.
A uploaded their actual deposits balance certificate PDF file to an AI platform and entered the command, "Change the balance section to 904,330,158 won." This method produced a forged deposits balance certificate.
Prosecutors then uncovered through additional supplementary investigation that A committed four instances of document forgery. They subsequently indicted and detained A, including for conduct that deceived the court and disrupted judicial order.
Prosecutors said, "A used AI's image generation function to forge materials so precise they were difficult to detect with the naked eye, deceiving not only the general public but even a judge," adding, "We confirmed that AI technology can be abused as a means of crime."
They added, "A first-year rookie prosecutor actively conducted a supplementary investigation into a case that the police forwarded without detention after a judge dismissed the arrest warrant, and directly secured detention within two weeks of the transfer," noting, "The necessity and effectiveness of prosecutors' supplementary investigations have been reaffirmed."