'He chose me as his spouse': Fan loses $23,700 to fake Lee Dong-wook

A romance scam using actor Lee Dong-wook’s name defrauded a woman in her late 30s in a social media relationship that lasted about eight months. She said she wired 35 million won, or $23,700, and could not recover it. The scammer never met her in person or spoke by phone, and later demanded more money for supposed customs fees. Lee Dong-wook’s agency said impersonators have been approaching fans through private messaging and social media.

The victim said the online relationship lasted about eight months before the money transfers escalated.

She said she sent 35 million won, equal to $23,700, and has been unable to recover the money.

The impostor claimed he was filming abroad and had sent a package containing gifts worth 700 million won.

The agency said its artists never solicit money, valuables, or personal information through direct channels.

The article also cited a previous romance scam involving actor Lee Jung-jae that allegedly cost a woman in her 50s about 500 million won.

Published Sep 18, 2026 11:39 am KST

King Kong by Starship confirmed its talent never asks for money or private fan meetings through direct messages

Actor Lee Dong-wook / Courtesy of King Kong by Starship

A romance scam exploiting the name and likeness of actor Lee Dong-wook has defrauded a fan of tens of millions of won, stirring widespread public dismay and prompting his management agency to intervene to prevent further victimization.

Appearing on SBS's "News Hunters" in a broadcast on Wednesday, a woman in her late 30s said she exchanged private messages for about eight months with an individual claiming to be Lee, believing they were in a relationship before wiring 35 million won ($23,700) that she has been unable to recover.

The victim said the online relationship unfolded entirely across social media, where the impostor groomed her into believing they were romantically involved.

"He more or less professed his love for me. We even talked about visiting my parents and arranging a meeting of the families," she said.

"It grew into a romantic relationship. I called him 'oppa' (an affectionate Korean term for an older male) and he called me 'honey.' He told me he had chosen me as his spouse."

Yet throughout their eight months of relationship, the two never once met face-to-face or spoke by phone. The fraud escalated when the scammer claimed he was filming abroad and had sent her a package containing gifts purportedly worth 700 million won. Claiming the package could not clear customs, he repeatedly pressed her for money to cover customs-clearance documentation and storage fees — demands she met through repeated bank transfers until her losses mounted to roughly 35 million won.

The agency said it has recently received reports of individuals impersonating its artists on private messaging and social media platforms. It added that its talent never solicits money, valuables or personal information through direct channels, and under no circumstances do artists privately approach fans to request funds under the pretext of holding a VIP fan meeting.

The incident underscores a troubling wave of romance scams that harness digital tools and artificial intelligence to exploit fan trust through celebrity impersonation.

Last October, a romance scam syndicate posing as actor Lee Jung-jae swindled a woman in her 50s out of approximately 500 million won after she believed they were dating. In response, Lee's agency, Artist Company, said it would take legal action to hold the culprits accountable.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

一名30多岁的女性遭遇网络诈骗，骗子冒用演员李栋旭的名义，通过社交媒体与她建立长达八个月的“恋爱关系”。该女性称，她汇款3500万韩元（约合23700美元），但至今无法追回。骗子从未与她见面或通过电话联系，之后又以支付所谓“关税”为由，向她索要更多钱财。李栋旭的经纪公司表示，有人冒充李栋旭，通过私信和社交媒体接近粉丝。

受害者称，这段网恋持续了大约八个月，之后资金转账的情况开始升级。

她说她汇出了 3500 万韩元，相当于 23700 美元，但一直未能追回这笔钱。

冒名顶替者声称自己正在国外拍电影，并寄出了一个包裹，里面装有价值7亿韩元的礼物。

该机构表示，旗下艺人绝不会通过直接渠道索要金钱、贵重物品或个人信息。

文章还提到了此前演员李政宰卷入的一起爱情骗局，据称该骗局导致一名 50 多岁的女性损失了约 5 亿韩元。

发布于2026年9月18日上午11:39（韩国标准时间）

Starship旗下艺人King Kong确认，旗下艺人从未通过私信索要钱财或私人粉丝见面会。

演员李栋旭 / 图片由 Starship 出品的《金刚》提供

一起利用演员李栋旭的姓名和肖像进行爱情诈骗的案件，导致一名粉丝损失数千万韩元，引发了公众的广泛愤慨，并促使其经纪公司介入以防止更多人受害。

周三，一名30多岁的女子在SBS电视台的《新闻猎人》节目中表示，她与一名自称是李某的人互发了大约8个月的私人信息，误以为两人是恋人关系，之后汇款3500万韩元（约合23700美元），但至今仍无法追回。

受害者表示，这段网恋完全发生在社交媒体上，冒名顶替者诱骗她相信他们之间存在恋爱关系。

“他几乎是向我表白了。我们甚至还谈到了去看望我的父母，以及安排两家人见面，”她说。

“我们发展成了恋爱关系。我叫他‘欧巴’（韩语中对年长男性的爱称），他叫我‘亲爱的’。他告诉我，他已经选择我作为他的伴侣。”

然而，在他们交往的八个月里，两人从未见过面，也从未通过电话。骗局升级后，骗子声称自己在国外拍戏，并寄给她一个包裹，里面装着价值7亿韩元的礼物。他谎称包裹无法清关，反复向她索要钱财，用于支付清关文件和仓储费用——她通过多次银行转账满足了他的要求，最终损失累计达到约3500万韩元。

该经纪公司表示，近期收到举报，有人冒充旗下艺人在私信和社交媒体平台上活动。公司补充道，旗下艺人绝不会通过任何直接渠道索要钱财、贵重物品或个人信息，也绝不会以举办VIP粉丝见面会为由私下联系粉丝索要钱财。

该事件凸显了一波令人担忧的爱情骗局浪潮，这些骗局利用数字工具和人工智能，通过冒充名人来利用粉丝的信任。

去年10月，一个冒充演员李政宰的爱情诈骗团伙骗取了一名50多岁女性约5亿韩元，该女性误以为他们正在交往。对此，李政宰的经纪公司Artist Company表示，将采取法律行动追究犯罪分子的责任。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。