Rental Car Owner Sentenced for Blackmailing Client with Private Black Box Footage

A rental car business owner has been found guilty and sentenced for threatening a customer using private footage from a car's black box after the vehicle was returned.

On the 19th, Judge Gong Woo-jin of the Incheon District Court's Criminal Division 14 sentenced Mr. B, the owner of the rental car company, to 8 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, and 120 hours of community service for blackmail.

Last February, Mr. B discovered private scenes recorded on the black box of a rental car he operated, after it was returned by a female customer in her 20s, identified as Ms. A. Ms. A is a member of a girl group, and the footage showed her interacting intimately with a member of boy group C.

Mr. B then sent messages via the Chinese messenger WeChat, saying, "What did you do in the back seat yesterday? Isn't it too much?" demanding money. He threatened, "It cost 47 million won to buy the car, so give me half." Frightened, the victim transferred a total of 9.79 million won to Mr. B over several occasions. A few days later, Mr. B met the victim in person and demanded additional money, stating, "It's being recorded in real-time."

The court stated, "This is a clear act of blackmail committed during a period of probation," but also noted, "We have taken into consideration that he has admitted to the crime and returned most of the extorted money."

This incident serves as a warning that everyday digital devices can be misused for criminal purposes, highlighting the potential for invasion of privacy.

Netizens expressed shock and anger, commenting, 'Black box footage is personal information, it's appalling to use it for blackmail,' and 'It feels even more malicious because she's a girl group member.' Many agreed that the owner deserved the sentence.