From Kim Jong-kook, Lee Min-woo to BLACKPINK’s Lisa: Celebrities Cannot Escape Falling Victim to Scams

Lately, a number of famous individuals have come forward to disclose that they were not only swindled in their investments, but also by people they trusted. These include Kim Jong-kook, Lee Min-woo, Bbaek Ga, Choo Sung-hoon, and BLACKPINK’s Lisa.

During the June 9th broadcast of SBS’s variety show “My Little Old Boy”, Kim Jong-kook opened up about falling victim to a scam in an investment. When questioned about lending money to others, he responded, “My mother has always advised me to only lend what I can afford to lose.”

Despite making a firm decision to only earn money through hard work after being scammed, he was swayed by peers and eventually ended up investing a significant amount, resulting in the loss of billions of won.

During the June 1st episode of KBS2’s variety show “Mr. House Husband Season 2”, Shinhwa’s Lee Min-woo opened up about being scammed out of 2.6 billion won by a close friend of 20 years. He expressed his feelings of betrayal and disappointment towards someone he had trusted like family.

Despite suffering from severe psychological torment, Lee Min-woo was able to overcome his PTSD. He shared that the emotional toll was even greater than the financial loss, as he was subjected to gaslighting and threats, which resulted in a loss of self-esteem and sense of self. This traumatic experience pushed him to the edge, leading to a suicide attempt at the Han River. However, with the support of his family, he was able to find comfort and heal from the trauma.

Koyote’s Bbaek Ga also revealed that he has been scammed by acquaintances on numerous occasions.

During his appearance on Channel A’s variety show “Detectives: The Trade Secret”, he shared that his nickname “loss adjuster”originated from the various scams he had experienced. He recounted at least 6 to 7 incidents and specifically mentioned a friend of 10 years who had promised to triple his investment but ended up disappearing with the money.

On KBS 2TV’s variety show “Boss in the Mirror,” fighter Choo Sung-hoon disclosed that he had lost approximately 1 billion won to a close friend who had been managing his finances for a long time.

Choo Sung-hoon had trusted his friend to hold onto his earnings, but was devastated to discover that his entire fight money, which had been saved over a period of 6 years, had been taken. As a result, he was left with a mere 200,000 won in his account.

In addition, Koyote’s Kim Jong-min recounted his encounter with a manager who deceived him by pocketing his broadcast appearance fees. This incident taught him to exercise caution when faced with requests for large sums of money from those around him.

Despite her long-standing relationship with BLACKPINK, Lisa was the victim of a significant financial betrayal in 2020. Her former manager, who had been with her since her debut, embezzled over 1 billion won by falsely claiming to invest in real estate for her. YG Entertainment, the group’s agency, verified the scam and revealed that the manager had repaid a portion of the stolen money and agreed to a repayment plan before leaving the company.

Despite their fame and success, these celebrities have experienced significant psychological struggles as a result of these scams, highlighting the fact that the emotional and mental impact can be even greater than the monetary loss itself.