KBS In-Depth 60 Minutes tracks elderly romance scams, preventing a 70-year-old from transferring 25 million won

Episode 1474 <In-Depth 60 Minutes>

Loneliness targets you: Elderly Romance Scams

"Who is the police to interfere with love?" Romance scams targeting the elderly are on the rise... SNS warning for seniors

Broadcast: Friday, October 2, 2026, at 10:00 PM on KBS 1TV

In the twilight of life, the last love found in old age can lead to becoming a victim of international crime. "Romance scams," where criminals build intimacy through social media by posing as famous celebrities or fictional characters to extort money, are targeting lonely elderly people. International criminal organizations approach seniors who feel lonely due to bereavement, divorce, or retirement, and even strip away their retirement funds.

Among one thousand seniors aged 60 or older, a staggering 70.8% responded that they feel lonely. Experts point out that this loneliness in old age can serve as a background that makes individuals open their hearts to strangers. <In-Depth 60 Minutes> tracks the methods of elderly romance scams that prey on the loneliness of old age and looks into the loneliness of the elderly that lies behind it.

“Who is the police to interfere with someone else's love?” A trust firmly built over 6 months

In Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Lieutenant Jeong Sang-hwan, who was patrolling the streets, received a report from a citizen saying, “It seems like an acquaintance is being targeted by voice phishing.” The victim is a woman in her 70s, referred to as Ms. Kim, who lives apart from her children. Lieutenant Jeong visited her home to dissuade the transfer, but the victim insisted it was merely money to be sent to a lover abroad and was not voice phishing.

A boyfriend living in Ukraine requested 25 million won in shipping fees to send gold bars he owned to Korea. Ms. Kim had never actually met this man. Claiming the man, whose face she had never even seen, was her lover, Ms. Kim even refused to open the door to the police, saying, “Do not interfere with someone else's love.” Ultimately, the romance scam case was narrowly prevented after persistent persuasion by the police. Lieutenant Jeong says that romance scam crimes targeting the elderly have increased significantly recently.

6 years of waiting, romance scams hidden behind love

A report came to the <In-Depth 60 Minutes> production team. It was about a woman the reporter had been in contact with for 6 years, and they wanted to verify if this person was a real individual. Mr. Park Jin-ho (pseudonym), a man in his 60s living in Daegu, met a woman named ‘Linda’ residing in Nigeria through social media.

To Mr. Park, who had been raising his young son alone after divorcing his wife 11 years ago, Linda spoke of coming to Korea to become his wife. Through social media, Mr. Park shared his daily life with Linda morning and evening, dreaming of a new future. However, Linda, who is Sudanese, said she was staying in a Nigerian refugee camp to escape war and needed money to go to Korea.

To enable Linda to come to Korea, Mr. Park transferred nearly 40 million won for expenses such as visa issuance fees and airfare. It has already been 5 years since he met Linda. Linda still only demands money and has not come to Korea. Linda gained Mr. Park's trust by sending various documents and photos of her face. Mr. Park is still curious about her true identity.

<In-Depth 60 Minutes> inquired with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the authenticity of the documents, visas, and photos sent by Linda, and also met Jeong Seok-mo, who had directly covered romance scams in Nigeria. The story of Mr. Park's love, Linda, after 5 years of waiting—is it truly real?

New types of romance scams penetrating the loneliness of the elderly

As romance scams targeting the loneliness of the elderly increase, their criminal methods are evolving in extraordinary ways. Mr. Kim Jeong-hun (pseudonym), a man in his 60s living in Sokcho, was certain that dozens of strange messages pouring in through social media were all romance scams. However, he fell for Mei Lin from Hong Kong, with whom he happened to start a conversation. They conversed like an ordinary couple, exchanging famous Korean songs and photos of the seaside.

Mei Lin, who did not demand money despite continuous contact. Then one day, Mei Lin requested that he convert cash into cryptocurrency, saying she would send the cash first because she needed transaction funds to send to a client. Believing Mei Lin, Mr. Kim converted the cash into cryptocurrency. However, one month later, all of Mr. Kim's accounts were reported as voice phishing accounts, transactions were suspended, and Mr. Kim even had to undergo a police investigation.

In addition, the investigative team discovered cases where scammers approached romance scam victims by impersonating lawyers to induce secondary damage. Romance scams targeting the elderly do not end with a single instance of financial loss. Even at this moment, secondary and tertiary damages targeting the desperation of victims continue to follow.

Loneliness in old age is not an emotion that arrives suddenly one day. It encroaches on the daily lives of the elderly as children become independent, spouses and friends pass away, and they experience retirement and illness. And the uncomforted loneliness becomes a target for romance scam crimes.

Experts explain that old age is a period in the life cycle where loneliness is easily intensified, and they say that family and society must serve as a safe haven. A crime hidden within daily greetings and affection—Episode 1474 of <In-Depth 60 Minutes>, ‘Loneliness targets you: Elderly Romance Scams,’ which tracks the methods of romance scams targeting the elderly and examines the loneliness of old age, will be broadcast on KBS 1TV on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 10:00 PM.

(Photo provided = KBS 1TV ‘In-Depth 60 Minutes’)

◆ At a Glance

· Issuing Organization: KBS

· Category: In-Depth 60 Minutes

· Distribution: October 2, 14:11

Source: KBS Press Release

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