Father of Famous Actress Accused of Using Her Celebrity Status to Commit Fraud

The father of a popular actress is in hot water for committing fraud through using his daughter’s celebrity status.

On December 17, the Seoul Dongjak Police issued an arrest warrant for the man, identified only as Park (57). A spokesperson for the police department stated, “Mr. Park has multiple offenses of fraud and other such crimes on his criminal record. Due to the large sum that the victim has been scammed for, we have issued a warrant for his arrest.”

The crime in question began in March earlier this year. Mr. Park met with a landowner, identified as Baek (55) regarding a large plot of land in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Ms. Baek is reportedly a big fan of the actress in question, and Mr. Park convinced her that he was indeed the actress’ father by retelling memories from her childhood and how good she is at memorizing lines.

Once convinced, the sale of the land was finalized for 1 billion won (approximately $841,835), and Mr. Park fronted 150 million won (approximately $126,274) as a down payment. However, the remaining 850 million won (approximately $715,554) never came. Mr. Park showed Ms. Baek a certificate of bank balance and told her that he went to the bank and spoke with a branch manager who assured him the money was on its way. Though Ms. Baek was uncomfortable with the situation, she decided to wait because she was a fan of his daughter.

It wasn’t until May that Ms. Baek realized that Mr. Park had lied to her. She was contacted by a corporation in Imsil, North Jeolla Province that she had never heard of. She belatedly learned that Mr. Park had secretly taken the pledge to purchase her land and bought 1 billion won worth of rice from the corporation in Imsil on credit. Using the rice mills on the property to dispose of the purchased rice, Mr. Park brought in 750 million won (approximately $631,429) in profit.

Not only that, the certificate of bank balance was for an account that wasn’t his, and the branch manager had never spoken to Mr. Park at all, but someone else he’d sent in his place. Mr. Park then divided the money to another man, identified as Kang, and continued to insist that he didn’t have the money.

In the end, Ms. Baek brought formal charges of fraud against Mr. Park.

Meanwhile, Mr. Park’s daughter is currently filming as a lead actress in a drama.

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