A 51-year-old man was arrested for swindling a large sum of money from a rich widower whom he deceived with a false rapport.

Daegu Jungbu Police said on Tuesday that the man, surnamed Seo, had approached the 77 year-old victim with intention to take her money. 

He addressed the victim as “mother,” brought her gifts and took her to the hospital when she needed.

The victim had children but her ties with them had grown weak since her husband passed away.

In January 2014, Seo borrowed 100 million won ($88,000) from the victim for the first time.

He consistently paid her back a monthly interest of 3 percent of the money he borrowed, which helped boost trust in the eye of the victim.

He additionally asked for money ten times, giving varying reasons such as for his business and for an emergency. The sum he borrowed added up to 630 million won by September 2015.

The victim reported Seo to the police only after he suddenly became unreachable.

When police arrested Seo, he had used up all money on an overseas golf trip and the repayment of personal debts.

The police said Seo has no ability to pay back the victim, and that the case is “unfortunate.”

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)