Man nabbed for faking blindness to collect benefits

The “blind” man was caught saying “what a nice view” on video. Gettyimagesbank

By Lee Gyu-lee

A Busan man pretended to be blind for eight years to get disability benefits, according to police and media reports, Thursday.

Authorities said he was caught after a neighbor reported seeing him driving.

Police found a video on his mobile phone that captured him appreciating the scenery by saying, “What a nice view!” He had also received several traffic tickets, police said.

When confronted with the evidence, the man confessed to feigning blindness.

Police said that after the man, 49, was diagnosed with an eye illness that often results in vision loss, he lied during a hospital test to gain visual impairment level 1 classification for near-total blindness.

He then successfully applied for disability benefits, which amounted to 118 million won up until last August. While on welfare, he made a living as a street vendor.

According to records, his 2015 eye test showed he had normal vision when he renewed his license. This information was not passed to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which is responsible for disability benefits, police said.