[DISCLAIMER: The photo used as a thumbnail is not the real fansite master's identity. Thus, it was only used as a representation. (All credits to the Korean Drama, "Her Private Life.")]
One Korean fan shared the news yesterday on the social media platform Twitter about a famous fansite who scammed many people by selling unofficial merchandise and ran with their money. The account is well-known to be dedicated to the former X1 member and solo artist, Kim Wooseok.
According to the source, the fansite operated under two different usernames on Twitter but is actually the same person. Some of the accounts mentioned were Mellifluous_ws and LoveEffect1027_. However, upon further research, another alter social account under the name heaven961027 was discovered to be run by the same fansite master.
All three are currently put on private. Still, it didn't stop a group of ten people from successfully suing the individual who scammed a lot of Korean and other international fans.
Based on the anonymous source (note: their username was hidden on purpose for privacy protection), around ten individuals who all got deceived by Mellifluous_ws gathered around September to October of 2019 and decided to sue the fansite master for its actions.
It was on May 25 when the authorities contacted the group via text message, stating that the offender was sentenced two years and six months in prison. They were also informed that the fansite master's sentence began on May 22, 2020, and will be released on November 22, 2022. Below is a screenshot of the message the group received, including private information, such as the fansite's real name and contact number, which is hidden to keep the person's confidentiality.
This post garnered a flood of Korean fans' responses, belonging in different fandoms, stating their thoughts about this matter and their opinion regarding international fans purchasing unofficial merchandise from fansites. A lot of them relay their experience of being scammed by different "top seed" or top-tier, famous fansites, although the ending result varies per person.
One individual shared that they already deposited money to a China/Taiwan-based fansite six months ago only to be notified of reimbursement after four months of waiting. However, after that update, the fansite continued to hide.
Another user revealed that they also got scammed for a photobook by a fansite and waited for over five months without any updates. After contacting the fansite by informing them about filing a lawsuit after gathering other victims, the fansite suddenly came back with updates. It successfully delivered the purchased photobooks to all the buyers.
Additionally, some of the comments include the fact that there is an overwhelming amount of fansites who scam fans, never ship their produce, suddenly close their accounts, then open a new one under a different name and repeat the cycle. It really is a common occurrence.
Other users claimed that a lot of Kim Wooseok fansites are actually scammers and that Mellifluous_ws was previously a fansite dedicated to Hwang Minhyun of NU'EST.
Lastly, many fans also empathize with those who were deceived and tricked by fansites, as most of them find it difficult to report these individuals due to being underage or even living in a different country or continent.
