I was in a taxi traveling from Busan to Haman, Gyeongnam on the afternoon of the 11th of last month.

[Taxi driver] “So, do you want to pick up something from here?”
[Customer] “Yes, yes.”

The customer in the passenger seat talks to the taxi driver and then talks to someone on the phone.

[Customer]
” Yes. I’ve been called to go somewhere else. Unseo-ri in Haman?”

The taxi driver intuits something.

As soon as the passenger gets off, he calls 112.

[Taxi driver].
” The customer said he was going to pick up something, but he didn’t show up, so I thought I’d make a report. Yes, yes. Yes, yes. Yes, yes.”

At the scene, the taxi driver’s suspicions were confirmed and the victim, who had been tricked into handing over money for a low-interest loan, was caught on camera.

The police immediately made an arrest.

We carefully follow the taxi in an undercover truck as it goes to pick up the suspect again…

[Police officer]
“We’re right behind the taxi, see, because (the taxi)안전놀이터 is on its way to pick up a customer.”

Moments later, the caller gets back into the taxi just in front of the crime scene.

[police officer]
“That’s him!”

The officer approaches the passenger side of the taxi and begins questioning.

[Officer] “Let me see what’s in your bag.”
[Collector] “Yes, I have money.”
[Officer] “Who did you get the money from?”
[Collector] “I got it from a customer, I contacted him and…”
[Police officer] “Contact him? Isn’t this a scam?”
[“No, it’s not a scam.”

The collector continues to deny the charge, saying it’s legitimate money, but the police officer doesn’t stop asking questions.

[Police officer]
“You can tell them to send it by direct deposit, and then… who’s coming to collect the cash, it’s two chunks of 5 million won, so it’s 10 million won.”

Eventually, the police asked me to accompany them to the police station.

[Police officer] “Would you like to come with us, what do you want to do?”
[Collector] “I’ll go later…”
[Officer] “You don’t want to go now, do you?”
[Collector] “Yeah, yeah.”

The police then proceed to make a quick arrest.

[Police Officer]
“Mr. 000, we’re placing you under emergency arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud. You have the right to an attorney, and you can refuse to make any incriminating statements. You also have the right to an arrest and detention due process hearing.”

As the arrested collector gets out of the car and continues to ask “what’s wrong with you,” the officer yells at him, saying he shouldn’t be getting paid to do this.

[Officer] “Get out of the car. That’s him. I think that’s him.”
[Collector] “No, I’m supposed to be meeting someone who’s going to pay me, what’s wrong?”
[Officer] “You can’t do this for a paycheck, get in.”

“Thanks to the taxi driver’s active report, we arrested the suspect who was trying to collect 10 million won from the victims of voice fraud on the spot,” the police said, expressing gratitude for the citizens’ help in preventing the damage.