Actor Lee Dong Wook impersonated in romance scam

A woman in her 30s has reported being the victim of a romance scam involving the impersonation of South Korean actor Lee Dong Wook. According to an SBS report, the victim believed she was in a romantic relationship with the actor for approximately one year.

The victim claimed she sent roughly 35 million KRW (approximately $25,400 USD) to the individual, even withdrawing funds from her personal savings and living expense accounts. She provided screenshots of chat logs and noted that images sent by the individual appeared to be generated by artificial intelligence.

Lee Dong Wook’s agency, King Kong by Starship, issued a statement on September 16 addressing the impersonation. The agency clarified that their artists do not request money, personal information, or valuables through social media or personal messaging applications.