"Will Pay 300 Million Won If You Get Me Pregnant Instead of My Husband"... Suspicious Messages Emerge in Korea, Stirring Unease

[The Financial News] A suspicious scam, in which someone offers a large sum of money via a chat app to have a child in place of a husband, has now appeared in Korea following similar incidents in Japan.
According to an online community post on the 5th, a user identified as A shared messages recently exchanged through a chat app, asking, "Can I trust this?"
In the conversation, the other party, using the nickname 'Offering 300 Million Won,' introduced themselves as an 'agent.' They explained, "The wife currently lives alone in Seoul and, because her husband has lost his ability to conceive, she is seeking a healthy man to father a child to continue the family line."
They further specified that preference would be given to those without genetic disorders and who are physically fit.
The agent then stated, "If both parties agree and decide to proceed, a contract deposit of 100 million won will be transferred immediately. The meeting will be held in secret, and if pregnancy is successful, an additional 200 million won will be paid, totaling 300 million won."
Sensing something suspicious, user A asked if this involved going to the Kingdom of Cambodia. The other party deleted their message and left the chat room.
Readers who saw the story commented, "It sounds like they're trying to lure healthy people for crimes like organ trafficking," "If they really had that kind of money, they'd just use a sperm donor," "They'll probably ask you to come to the Kingdom of Cambodia for a meeting," and "They might demand money for a physical exam."
Previously, a man in his 60s in Japan also fell victim to a similar scam. B, a resident of Shimonoseki, was deceived by a woman he met through Social Networking Service (SNS), sending her 430,000 yen (about 400,000 KRW). The woman proposed, "I can't have a child with my husband, so please get me pregnant instead. If successful, I'll pay you 52 million yen (about 50 million KRW) as a reward."
Persuaded by the woman's claim that a deposit was necessary, B transferred a total of 430,000 yen to the bank accounts she provided in three separate payments. He later realized it was a scam and reported the incident to the police.
moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter