She later discovered that the person behind the account was not Lee Dong Wook. By then, she had already transferred around 35 million won (approx ,689).

Updated on: Sep 18, 2026, 18:48:33 IST

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A woman in her late 30s believed she had found love with South Korean actor Lee Dong Wook. For eight months, she exchanged messages with a man who told her he was the actor, spoke to her about marriage and even discussed meeting her family. She later discovered that the person behind the account was not Lee Dong Wook at all. By then, she had already transferred around 35 million won (approximately $25,689). The woman spoke about the alleged scam on SBS's News Hunters, explaining how what began as social media messages slowly turned into what she believed was a serious relationship. The money requests came much later, after the impersonator had spent months building her trust.

She believed the relationship was real

According to Korean news outlet Hankook Ilbo, the woman said the man claiming to be Lee Dong Wook made the relationship feel increasingly personal. Their conversations reportedly moved beyond casual fan interactions, with the two discussing their families and a possible future together. "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.

She said she eventually began seeing him as her partner. She called him "oppa", while he called her "honey", and she was told that he had chosen her as his future spouse. She added, "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". There was, however, one major gap in the relationship. In all those eight months, the woman said they never met in person and never spoke over the phone.

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The money requests started with a package

The scam allegedly took a financial turn when the impersonator told the woman he was overseas for a filming schedule. He claimed to have sent her a package containing gifts worth 700 million won (approx. $505,922 USD). The package, he said, had become stuck in customs. He then began asking her to send money for documents and storage charges so it could be released.

The woman made several payments, believing the explanation she had been given. By the time she realised something was wrong, she had transferred about 35 million won. She has not been able to get the money back.

Lee Dong Wook's agency issues warning

The actor's agency King Kong by Starship said it has recently heard from people who were approached by individuals pretending to be its artists on social media and private messaging platforms. It stressed that its artists do not ask fans for money, valuables or personal information through private messages. The agency also warned fans against anyone claiming that money is needed to arrange a VIP fan meeting or private access to an artist.

The statement read, “Recently, we have received reports of individuals impersonating our artists on personal messaging apps and social media accounts. Artists under King Kong by Starship will never ask for valuables, money, or personal information through personal messaging or social media accounts. In particular, there are absolutely no instances where they will reach out personally to demand money under the guise of hosting a VIP fan meeting. There are no fan meetings involving our artists other than those explicitly announced through official King Kong by Starship channels. Please be extra cautious to avoid any financial damage or confusion regarding this matter.”

It further read, “We are currently collecting reports on accounts impersonating our artists. If you are contacted by an account suspected of impersonation, please do not respond under any circumstances and report it to the official King Kong by Starship email address listed below.”

Lee Dong Wook's work

Most recently, Lee Dong Wook was seen in the season 2 of the K-drama, A Shop for Killers. He is currently busy filming Netflix’s upcoming romance drama Love Affair, not another action series. The drama is directed by Mo Wan Il, the filmmaker behind The World of the Married. He stars alongside Jung Yu Mi and Jeon So Nee in the series.

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