Sweet-talking Elon Musk impersonator cons South Korean woman out of US$50,000 with promises of wealth

In an attempt to convince people he or she was the real Musk, the impersonator shared supposed details of the family’s personal activities, saying things such as “the kids go to SpaceX every weekend”.

The con artist also claimed to “travel frequently to Texas, home of the Tesla factory, and to Florida, where SpaceX is located, using a private helicopter”.

Initially sceptical, the woman gradually lowered her guard as the activities shared matched those reported in the news.

Trust was further developed through video calls, with the victim confirming that the man bore a striking resemblance to Musk.

The scammer also expressed affection for her, saying: “Hello. I love you, do you know that?”

He further claimed that he was happy that his fans would become rich through him, implying that investments would bring wealth.

To further this line the scammer provided Korean bank account details.

A “Citizen of Mars” ID and a passport photo were also shared, showing Musk’s ID number on Mars, which is 000000001, and that his place of birth is Earth.

After being bombarded with information, the woman was convinced she was dealing with the real tech billionaire.

In August last year, she made multiple transfers to the designated account, totalling 70 million Korean won.

South Korea’s national broadcaster attempted to contact the Musk impersonator by phone, but received the reply: “It’s early morning in America now.”

This was followed by a suggestion that they communicate via text message instead.

To reassure the victim, a voice recording was sent with the message: “I am Elon Musk, I hope this recording will reassure you.”

However, experts have analysed the recording and confirmed that it was generated by AI.

These types of scams are becoming increasingly common in China, so the story resonated with people on mainland social media.

“He provided an ID card for Mars? Does someone really believe that?” one online observer asked.

“Do these people never watch the news, or do they really think pies fall from the sky?” said another.

“I also encountered the same thing on Xiaohongshu, we chatted, and he was very charming, but then I reported him,” said a third.