Kim Mikyung, Joo Jinhyung, Hwang Hyunhee, and Others Hold Press Conference on the 22nd
Statement Issued to Raise Awareness of Phishing Crime Severity and Urge Solutions
Celebrities who have suffered impersonation damage from fake news and scam advertisements rampant on online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are taking joint action.
According to the information technology (IT) and entertainment industries on the 14th, the "Meeting to Solve Celebrity Impersonation Online Phishing Crimes" (Yusamo) plans to hold a press conference on the 22nd at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, to raise awareness of the seriousness of online phishing crimes impersonating celebrities and to urge platforms and the government to take action.
They will also speak about the actual damage caused by impersonation crimes experienced directly by celebrities, current system problems and lukewarm responses of online platforms, and legal and institutional issues.
Broadcaster Song Eun-i warned, "Beware of illegal impersonation advertisements," in a post she personally uploaded on her Instagram. [Image source=Song Eun-i Instagram capture]
At the press conference, actual victims of impersonation crimes such as famous lecturer Kim Mi-kyung, broadcaster Song Eun-i, former Meritz Asset Management CEO John Lee, former Hanwha Investment & Securities CEO Joo Jin-hyung, and comedian Hwang Hyun-hee will attend. As of the day before, more than 120 people, including not only actual victims but also celebrities who have not yet been affected, have expressed their intention to join the statement.
In the entertainment industry, Yoo Jae-suk, Kim Nam-gil, Kim Go-eun, Baek Ji-young, Kim Sook, Hong Jin-kyung, Jin Sun-kyu, Uhm Jung-hwa, Haha, Kim Young-chul, Kim Ho-young, Choi Kang-hee, and Shin Ae-ra participated. Among academics and experts, professors Jang Dong-seon, Ahn Yoo-hwa, Kim Kyung-il, Choi Jae-boong, Kwon Il-yong, and Pyo Chang-won, head of the Crime Science Research Institute, also took part. Additionally, YouTubers such as Kim Dong-hwan, CEO of Sampro TV, Kim Seong-hoe (Kim Seong-hoe's G Encyclopedia), and Kim Blue (Akdong Kim Blue) joined as well.
A Yusamo official said, "The large participation from academia, entertainment, YouTubers, and the entertainment industry strongly reflects the serious awareness of the celebrity impersonation issue," adding, "The number of those expressing their intention to join continues to increase." The celebrity impersonation scam crime, which began in earnest last year, started on Facebook, spread to YouTube, and is now exponentially spreading through platforms such as KakaoTalk and Naver Band.
The impersonation scam method involves inviting investors to join a KakaoTalk or Telegram chat room through a link in a social networking service (SNS) advertisement, claiming it is a group chat sharing premium investment information. Dozens of participants in the invited chat room all claim to have made profits and provide "investment verification." When an investor who sees this asks how to participate, a person claiming to be an "investment expert" guides them to install a trading application (app). After the investor installs the app and deposits money, the app screen shows purchase details, and shortly after, it appears that high returns are being made. However, this is just a scam using a fake trading app, and when the investor tries to withdraw funds, excuses such as delays are made, and the perpetrators eventually disappear without returning the money.
According to the National Police Agency's statistics, there were over 1,000 impersonation scam cases from September to December last year, with damages exceeding 120 billion won. Yusamo pointed out, "Currently, Meta and Google consistently maintain a passive attitude, claiming they have no system to pre-filter impersonation advertisements," adding, "As a result, celebrities are defenseless, and even if reports are made afterward, platforms respond lukewarmly, and for every scam ad removed, ten more appear, making it practically impossible to solve." Moreover, these impersonation scams use celebrities and exploit advertisements on credible platforms, causing many viewers to be deceived. Yusamo stated that the celebrities, despite being victims of impersonation, are misunderstood and criticized for not actively resolving the issue or even condoning it, and some celebrities have reportedly been sued as a result.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
