Scammer posing as BTS member Jimin swindles 68-year-old woman out of $55,000

A 68-year-old pensioner living in Brazil has lost nearly 55,000 US dollars after falling into the trap of a scammer she met online. For about four months, she had been messaging an individual who introduced himself as Jimin, a member of the South Korean group BTS.

It is reported that the scammer regularly sent the woman affectionate messages, convincing her that they had established a romantic relationship. Once he gained her trust, he claimed to have sent her expensive gifts, but stated they were being held at customs. He then requested money from the woman, claiming it was needed to pay customs fees to release the gifts.

Believing the scammer's story, the pensioner took out large loans and borrowed money from banks to send the funds. As a result, her total loss amounted to nearly 300,000 Brazilian reais, or 55,000 US dollars.

Realizing she had been deceived, the woman later contacted law enforcement authorities. The Civil Police of São Paulo are currently investigating to identify the criminal group behind this fraud.