Lee Jung Jae, the star from Netflix’s Squid Game, is involved in a shocking impersonation scam. The actor’s name was misused by fraudsters who scammed a woman in her 50s out of 500 million KRW (around 350,000 USD), according to a JTBC report. The victim, identified as Ms. A, believed she was communicating with the Squid Game actor after being sent AI-generated photos and a fake ID card supposedly from the set of Squid Game 3.
The criminals reportedly posed as Lee Jung Jae, affectionately calling the woman “honey” and “darling” while slowly building her trust. Eventually, the scammers demanded money, starting with 6 million KRW for a supposed private meeting, and over six months, extracted nearly 500 million KRW in total. The AI footage seemed and their interactions seemed to be convincing enough for the woman to believe she was in contact with the Squid Games actor himself.
Incidents like this have become unfortunately frequent in the world of K-pop and K-drama fandoms. Management agencies have issued repeated warnings against online impersonation and AI scams, announcing plans for legal action against offenders. Lee Jung Jae’s agency has yet to comment on this specific case. Meanwhile, the actor continues to expand his global career, appearing in The Acolyte and preparing for his upcoming film Nice to Not Meet You alongside The Glory’s Lim Ji Yeon.