K-pop fever comes with a catch as fan scams surge in South Korea (opens original article in a new tab)

South Korea's K-pop popularity has led to increased scams targeting foreign fans, with fraud reports nearly quadrupling between 2023 and 2025, including cases where overseas fans lost money to local intermediaries for concert tickets and merchandise.

• South Korea's K-pop popularity has led to a surge in scams targeting foreign fans
• Foreign nationals reported nearly quadrupling fraud cases from 2023 to 2025
• Scams involve lost money after paying local intermediaries for concert tickets and merchandise
• Police reported 5 of 7 crimes at BTS concerts in Busan involved scams