Scammers posing as celebrities are flooding social media ― and one brazen fake even slid into an actress’s DMs.
On Oct. 29, actress Jang Ga-hyun, 48, shared a direct message she received from an account pretending to be Lee Byung-hun, 55. “Hello, I am Lee Byung-hun. Nice to meet you here. Do you enjoy my movies? I wanted to connect with fans, so I’m reaching out. I’ll be waiting for your reply,” the message read.
The account wasn’t Lee’s official profile ― it didn’t even use his photo. Jang responded with dry humor, quipping, “At this rate, my next project might be with Lee Byung-hun,” while calling out the absurdity of the scam.
Celebrity impostor schemes have been popping up across Korea. Recently, a fake account posing as TV personality Kim Shin-young urged fans into illegal investments, and another impersonating comedian Yoo Jae-suk tried to steer people into financial transactions in January. A romance-scam ring posing as actor Lee Jung-jae reportedly defrauded a woman in her 50s of about 500 million won.
Experts say these scams exploit star power and perceived trust to lower victims’ defenses ― often as a setup for fraud.
To prevent losses, the Korea Communications Commission urged the public not to be swayed by ads or messages that impersonate celebrities and to verify whether any company soliciting investments is properly registered with the Financial Supervisory Service. If illegal activity or damage occurs, report it to police or the FSS and ask your financial institution to place a temporary hold on the implicated accounts.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)