AI-generated bank documents used in fraud and court deception in South Korea
A 27-year-old man in South Korea used AI to create fake bank balance certificates, medical credentials, and cryptocurrency holdings to defraud investors of approximately 320 million won. The suspect presented a forged balance certificate showing 900 million won in an account containing only 23 won to deceive a judge during an initial hearing, successfully preventing his arrest at that stage before prosecutors' supplementary investigation uncovered the fraud.
What happened
A 27-year-old man in South Korea used AI to generate fake documents including bank balance certificates, a physician national examination certificate, and cryptocurrency holdings records to commit fraud from August to October 2025.
The suspect presented an AI-generated bank balance certificate showing 900 million won in an account that actually contained only 23 won during a pre-arraignment hearing before a judge. The judge, believing the suspect would repay the victims in full, rejected the arrest warrant.
A month after the warrant was rejected, prosecutors reopened their investigation. By cross-checking account records and tracing the actual account, they determined the balance certificate was forged and the real balance was 23 won. The suspect had presented the same forged certificate to the judge, prosecutors, and victims.
Reported impact
The suspect defrauded victims of approximately 320 million won by falsely claiming he had invested capital and using the fake credentials to solicit investment.
A judge initially made an incorrect decision to deny the arrest warrant based on the forged bank document, but prosecutors' supplementary investigation corrected the court's misjudgement.
Index analysis
Prosecutors noted that the forged AI images were sophisticated enough to be imperceptible to the naked eye, enabling them to deceive not only victims but also law enforcement and judicial authorities.
The case demonstrates how AI-generated synthetic documents can undermine judicial processes and evade initial investigative scrutiny.
Governance controls
Prosecutors conducted supplementary investigation and fact-checking through account tracing after suspecting the forged nature of the documents based on the suspect's prior use of AI to forge other credentials.
Following the discovery of the fraudulent balance certificate, prosecutors re-obtained an arrest warrant and proceeded with prosecution.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.