Squid Game star Lee Jung Jae has achieved global stardom in recent years, but with fame comes a darker side — impersonation scams. A recent report from South Korean news outlet JTBC revealed a disturbing case where a woman in her 50s was swindled out of 500 million KRW (approximately $350,000 USD) by someone pretending to be the renowned actor.
According to the report, the victim, referred to as Ms. A, was contacted through social media by an individual claiming to be Lee Jung Jae. Posing as a friendly communication attempt with fans, the scammer used fake images, including AI-generated photos supposedly from the filming of Squid Game Season 3 and doctored pictures taken at airports. A counterfeit ID card was also shown to make the deception more convincing.
Ms. A believed she had struck up a real relationship with the star and was flattered by the impersonator’s affectionate language, referring to her as “honey” and “darling.” The scam escalated when the fraudster requested 6 million KRW as a fee to arrange a private meeting with the actor. Over the next six months, Ms. A was manipulated into transferring around 500 million KRW in total.
This case is part of a troubling trend in the K-pop and K-drama industry, where fans are frequently targeted by scammers pretending to be celebrities. Entertainment agencies have strongly condemned such fraudulent activities and are pursuing legal action against the perpetrators. However, Lee Jung Jae’s team has not yet commented on this particular incident.
On the professional front, Lee Jung Jae is set to appear in Nice to Not Meet You opposite The Glory star Lim Ji Yeon. He also recently made his Hollywood debut in The Acolyte and was seen at an event in Saudi Arabia alongside Mr. Beast and Shah Rukh Khan.
