The truth behind the claim that Lee Dong Wook scammed a woman out of 35 million won using a sophisticated scheme?
The public is eagerly awaiting the next move from actor Lee Dong Wook.
On the morning of September 17, the Asian public was abuzz with news that a woman in her 30s (Ms. A) had come forward, claiming she had been dating a male actor—allegedly Lee Dong Wook—for over a year. Notably, she alleged that the person claiming to be Lee Dong Wook had swindled her out of 35 million won. According to Ms. A, the man used sweet talk, confessed his feelings, and even sent private photos to entice her into handing over the money, all while promising to introduce her to his parents. Ultimately, however, she lost her money without ever getting the chance to meet his family.
Ms. A spoke out in frustration: “The person claiming to be Lee Dong Wook essentially confessed his love to me. We even discussed visiting his parents and arranging a formal meeting between our families; things had progressed that far. You could say we were in a romantic relationship. He would tell me, ‘I love you, darling,’ and I called him ‘darling’ too. We talked like that for about a year. I even withdrew my savings and used my living expenses to give to him. In total, I gave him 35 million won.”
However, it turned out that the man claiming to be Lee Dong Wook was actually a fraudster. He had used AI to generate images resembling the actor and sent them to Ms. A to gain her trust. He then used sweet talk to gradually lure the victim into his trap before asking her to transfer the money. On the morning of September 17, the management agency issued a statement regarding the impersonation of Lee Dong Wook for illicit gain: “Artists under our agency never request money, payments, personal information, or any other valuable assets from the public via messaging apps or social media accounts. We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any instances where they suspect someone is impersonating our artists.”
This is not the first time the Korean entertainment industry has been shaken by incidents of artist impersonation used for fraud and asset misappropriation. About a year ago, *The Maeil Business* reported on an individual claiming to be actor Lee Jung Jae (*Squid Game*) who messaged a woman identified as “B,” wooing her while repeatedly soliciting money. In messages sent to B, the person posing as Lee Jung Jae used romantic endearments like “darling” and “sweetheart” to win her over.
This sparked rumors on social media that the actor was cheating on his girlfriend, Lim Se Ryung (Vice Chairwoman of Daesang Group and ex-wife of “Samsung Crown Prince” Lee Jae Yong). The public was left wondering about the future of this power couple should the rumors prove true.
In reality, however, the person claiming to be Lee Jung Jae was a professional scammer. It turned out the individual had used AI to generate realistic images of the actor to manipulate the victim and gain her trust. *The Maeil Business* reported that Ms. B had placed her full trust in the imposter, believing she had been conversing with the famous Korean actor for an extended period. Ultimately, she fell into a trap set by scammers, becoming the victim of a fraud scheme involving billions of won.
After gaining Ms. B’s trust, the scammer did not hesitate to demand money. The fraudster messaged her claiming that 10 million won was needed to issue a VIP fan meeting pass. Later, the individual—impersonating Lee Jung Jae—fabricated a story about being detained at a U.S. airport and demanded that she transfer tens of millions of won more.
It did not stop there; an accomplice posing as a manager demanded an urgent transfer of 6 million won from Ms. B, claiming it was necessary for a private meeting with Lee Jung Jae. Over the course of six months, the victim transferred a total of 500 million won to the scammers.
Source: Koreaboo