BTS’ Jungkook targeted in identity theft
A hacker allegedly stole the singer's identity and illegally sold his HYBE stocks worth $5.6 million
BTS’ Jungkook became a victim of identity theft and online scam.
According to Biz Korea, the member of the popular K-pop boy band had his identity stolen by an online hacker who tried to sell the singer’s stocks.
Jungkook owns a significant portion of HYBE stocks, which is a South Korean multimedia conglomerate and the parent company of record label Big Hit Music. The label represents BTS as well as TXT and singer Lee Hyun.
The fraud took place in January last year after Jungkook enlisted for military service just a month earlier.
The hacker allegedly took advantage of Jungkook's absence and set up an unauthorised bank account under his name.
Reports indicate that the suspect transferred 8.44 billion KRW (approximately $5.6 million) worth of stocks to the fraudulent account.
After transferring 33,500 shares, the hacker sold 500 stocks with an estimated value of around $86,000.
Jungkook filed a civil lawsuit in March 2024 and Seoul’s district court recognised the singer as a victim of identity fraud.
It is also reported that the investigation is still ongoing and that the identity of the suspect remains unknown.
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