Believing she had developed a romantic connection with the actor, the woman reportedly sent money several times, each time under the pretext that they would soon meet in person.
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The digital age has made it easy for fans to connect with their favourite stars. But it has also made it absolutely simple for scammers to take advantage of that trust. In a shocking incident from South Korea, a woman in her 50s was allegedly duped of nearly 500 million won (around ₹3.07 crore) by a group pretending to be none other than ‘Squid Game’ star Lee Jung-jae.
According to reports, the scammers first reached out to the victim through social media claiming to be the actor himself. The messages seemed friendly and personal at first. A “hello” from the star, an expression of gratitude toward fans, and even small talk about filming ‘Squid Game Season 3’ for Netflix! Slowly the casual chats moved from social media to the messaging app KakaoTalk where the fraudsters continued to build trust.
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To make their act believable, the group even sent the woman AI-generated photos of Lee Jung-jae and a fake driver’s license. Over time, the impostor began addressing her affectionately, calling her “honey” and “sweetie.”
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Believing she had developed a romantic connection with the actor, the woman reportedly sent money several times, each time under the pretext that they would soon meet in person.
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By the end of six months, her total losses had crossed 500 million won. The scam was eventually exposed and police in South Gyeongsang Province have now launched an investigation. Authorities suspect that the group may have links to an overseas crime network possibly based in Cambodia.
Following media reports, Lee Jung-jae’s agency, Artist Company, issued a firm statement condemning the incident. “A crime in which someone impersonated one of our actors to demand money recently occurred,” the agency said on its official social media page.
They made it absolutely clear that neither the actor nor the agency would ever ask fans for money or sponsorships in any form. “If anyone contacts you claiming to be Lee Jung-jae or anyone from our company and requests money, please do not respond,” the statement urged.
The agency also confirmed that it is working closely with law enforcement to track down those responsible. “We plan to respond strongly for the safety of our artist and fans,” it said adding that they are ensuring a “safe and healthy fan culture.”
Romance scams where fraudsters emotionally manipulate victims by pretending to be in love have been on the rise globally, often using AI and deepfake technology to appear convincing.
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