What's happened
A South Korean woman lost $50,000 to a con artist impersonating Elon Musk on Instagram. The scammer sent photos and shared personal details, convincing the victim of their authenticity.
Why it matters
This scam highlights the dangers of online impersonation and the need for caution when interacting with strangers on social media. It serves as a cautionary tale for individuals to verify the identities of online contacts before sharing personal information or sending money.
What the papers say
The South China Morning Post and Business Insider reported on the victim's experience of being scammed by a fake Elon Musk on Instagram. The Independent provided additional details on how the victim was duped by a deepfake video featuring the Tesla CEO.
How we got here
The victim, Jeong Ji-sun, initially believed she was communicating with Elon Musk after the scammer shared photos and personal details. The incident underscores the prevalence of online scams and the importance of verifying the identities of individuals met online.
Common question
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea.
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Elon Reeve Musk FRS is an engineer, industrial designer, technology entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder, CEO, CTO and chief designer of SpaceX; early investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; founder of The Boring Company; co-foun