Singer HYNN warns fans of impersonation scams on social media

The agency of singer HYNN, also known as Park Hye-won, has urged fans to beware of impersonation accounts. Reports of fake accounts using celebrities' names and photos to approach fans have surfaced repeatedly over the past two months.

New Order Entertainment, Park's agency, warned in a post on her official fan cafe Friday that accounts with usernames closely resembling HYNN's official social media handles had been discovered impersonating the artist, particularly on Instagram.

The agency asked fans who receive messages from suspected impersonation accounts not to reply or click any links, and to block and report the accounts immediately.

Agencies representing actors have issued similar notices. Kingkong by Starship, which represents actors Yoo Yeon-seok, Lee Dong-wook, Kim Bum, Song Seung-heon, Lee Kwang-soo and Chae Su-bin, said Wednesday on its official social media that impersonation cases involving its artists' personal messaging and social media accounts had been reported. "None of our artists will ever ask for money, valuables or personal information through personal messenger or social media accounts," the agency said.

Big Smile Entertainment, the agency of actor Park Seon-ho, also confirmed Sept. 1 that a fake social media account impersonating Park had been contacting his acquaintances and fans.

Actor Shin Ae-ra posted a screenshot of an impersonation account on her Instagram in July, writing, "I have no other accounts — don't be fooled."

The tactics used by impersonation accounts follow a familiar pattern. Scammers create usernames that differ from an artist's official account by only one or two characters, then send direct messages to fans first. They use the promise of a personal connection or an exclusive fan meeting to solicit money and personal information, or to lure victims into clicking links or scanning QR codes.

Agencies have uniformly stressed that their artists never reach out to fans directly through personal accounts or ask for money.

According to the office of Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Wi Seong-gon, police received 2,192 romance scam reports last year, with total damages reaching 136 billion won ($98.5 million) — roughly double the 1,265 cases and 67.5 billion won recorded in 2024. This year, 600 cases had already been filed through March.

Anyone who has fallen victim to an impersonation account scam can file a report through the Korean National Police Agency's cybercrime reporting system or by calling 112.