Im Young Woong's Agency Warns Against Impersonation Scams

In light of recent incidents involving impersonation scams where individuals have been booking restaurants under the names of celebrities and then failing to show up, Im Young Woong's agency, Fish Music, has issued a warning. On May 16, the agency stated, "There have been cases where our artist Im Young Woong's name has been misused to create no-show situations at restaurants or to demand high-end alcohol deliveries and monetary payments." They urged the public to exercise caution and not to respond to any suspicious communications. The agency clarified that they do not make restaurant reservations under their name and do not request money transfers, purchases, or alcohol deliveries under any circumstances. They emphasized that such requests are illegal activities stemming from impersonation, similar to voice phishing schemes that exploit the names of celebrities for financial gain. This trend of impersonation scams targeting celebrities and their managers has been on the rise, with perpetrators ordering large quantities of food or products and disappearing on the day of the appointment. Some have even shown business cards or provided specific details to deceive restaurant owners. Other celebrities, including Song Ga In, Sung Si Kyung, Namgoong Min, Byun Woo Seok, Ha Jung Woo, and Park Myung Soo, have also had their names used in similar scams, prompting their agencies to issue warnings. Additionally, there have been cases of scammers posing as production teams from popular shows like Running Man or as distributors like Lotte Entertainment. One notable incident involved a scammer impersonating the production team of a film featuring actor Kang Dong Won, who ordered approximately 14.6 million won worth of alcohol from a restaurant in Jeonbuk and failed to show up. The restaurant owner reported that the scammer had paid for three bottles of alcohol, each costing several million won, but the delivery never arrived.