Romance Blackmail Scams in South Korea
Sextortion schemes targeting Korean users through social media and dating apps, rapidly escalating to threats to share intimate recordings with contacts.
Part of: Romance Blackmail Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Sextortion is a rapidly growing cybercrime in South Korea, with the Korea Cyber Security Center recording thousands of cases annually. The fast-paced escalation pattern — from first contact to extortion in as little as a few days — reflects the industrial-scale operation of these fraud rings.
Fraudsters use social media platforms including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Korean platforms such as KakaoTalk and Naver Band to identify and approach targets, using AI-generated profile images of attractive Korean personas.
How this scam works on South Korea
After connecting via social media or a dating platform, the fraudster rapidly expresses romantic interest and pushes conversations to video calls. During calls, they use screen recording or manipulated footage to capture intimate material. Payment demands follow immediately, backed by threats to share content to the victim's kakao contacts, workplace, or school.
Deep-fake technology has made this scam more dangerous: some fraudsters create convincing fake intimate video content using only a target's profile photos, demanding payment for content that was entirely fabricated but could cause severe social harm if distributed.
Korean high school and university students are particularly targeted, and some cases have had severe mental health consequences for victims.
Common red flags
- Online contact escalates very rapidly to video calls and intimate topics
- Contact pushes to specific video chat platforms where recording is easier
- Demands for KRW payment via kakaopay or cryptocurrency to prevent content distribution
- Profile appears very recently created with few connections
- Unable to verify the contact's identity through mutual connections or verifiable information
How to protect yourself
- Do not participate in intimate video calls with people you have not met and verified in person
- Cover or disable webcams when not in intentional use
- Do not pay any demanded amount — it signals willingness and escalates demands
- Preserve all evidence before blocking the scammer
- Contact Korean police cyber unit or DSO (Digital Sex Offense victim support) for confidential help
How to report it
- Report to the National Police Agency digital sex crime unit at police.go.kr
- Contact Korea's Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center (디지털성범죄피해자지원센터) at women.go.kr
- Report platform accounts via the reporting function on the platform used
Frequently asked questions
Does South Korea have legal support specifically for intimate image abuse victims?
Yes. Korea's Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes criminalizes non-consensual distribution of intimate images, including deep fakes. The Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center provides free legal counseling, evidence collection help, and content removal assistance.