The Korean consulate in Brazil has warned fans of Korean culture to beware of scams, which are on the rise in the country involving Korean celebrity impersonators.
A Brazilian woman was the victim of a KRW 13 million (€ 9500) scam by a man posing as Park Bo Gum.
On September 20, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Sao Paulo posted on its official website that a Brazilian woman, a big fan of Korean dramas and K-pop, was recently conned by an imposter posing as the Korean actor Park Bo-rubber.
The impostor first approached the victim on Instagram and then formed a friendship with her. When the relationship was “tight enough” The impostor told the victim that he wanted to go to Brazil to see her, but that he first had to transfer about 50,000 Reais (about 9,700 euros) to him, because it is difficult to use the agency’s money to pay for travel expenses, the consulate explained.
“The victim transferred the money without suspecting it and even borrowed money from his acquaintances to collect this large sum.”reads the press release.
The Park Bo-gum impostor cut off all communications after the wire transfer.
“People who pretend to be celebrities on social media and build relationships and then ask for money are, almost always, scammers,” the consulate explained.
“If you know someone suspicious who claims to be a Korean celebrity, report them to the police or contact the embassy or consulate general. Please disseminate this information so that no other Korean culture fans are victims of such fraud.”They concluded.
According to the consulate, 6 to 7 other cases of similar fraud have been reported. However, in other cases, the victims fortunately did not send any money. Brazilian police are currently tracking down the scammer who posed as Park Bo Gum.
