A "romance scam" ring impersonating actor Lee Jung-jae approached a woman in her 50s through social media (SNS) and stole about 500 million won. Lee Jung-jae's side said it would respond strongly.
Lee Jung-jae's agency Artist Company said on the 22nd through its official SNS account, "A crime in which someone impersonated one of our actors to demand money and obtain financial gain recently occurred and was reported in the media."
It added, "We make it clear that neither our company nor individual artists, under any circumstances, make economic requests such as money, account transfers, or sponsorships," and urged, "If you are contacted with such requests, do not respond and exercise particular caution to prevent fraud."
The agency said, "We are currently working with relevant authorities to verify the facts and plan to respond strongly for the safety of the artist and fans." It added, "We will continue to do our best for a safe and healthy fan culture."
JTBC reported on the previous day that a romance scam ring impersonating Lee Jung-jae swindled about 500 million won from a woman in her 50s, identified as A, who lives in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. A romance scam refers to a fraud that deceives victims under the pretext of romance or marriage to extort money.
According to JTBC, the ring approached the victim via SNS, saying, "This is actor Lee Jung-jae. I reached out to communicate with fans." They then built rapport by talking about filming "Squid Game Season" season 3 on Netflix and moved the conversation to KakaoTalk.
The impostor deceived the victim by sending an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated fake photo of Lee Jung-jae and a fake driver's license.
A sent money multiple times after being told she would be allowed to meet Lee Jung-jae in person, and, seeing terms of endearment like "honey" and "sweetie," believed the relationship had developed into a romance and continued it. In about six months, the money A was swindled out of reached about 500 million won.
The South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency, which is set to take over the case, is pursuing the romance scam ring while keeping all possibilities open, including links to an organization in Cambodia.