17-year-old used deepfake to sexually exploit teenage girls in South Korea
A 17-year-old using the online nickname "Pandora" in South Korea allegedly lured teenage girls via social media by falsely claiming deepfake videos of them were circulating, then used fabricated evidence to coerce them into sending explicit images and videos. Police say he created 34 child sexual abuse materials from 19 victims between July 2024 and April 2025, and also compelled some victims to recruit other victims.
What happened
A 17-year-old using nicknames including 'Pandora' (νλλΌ) approached teenage girls on Instagram and TikTok by claiming deepfake videos of them were being circulated online and offering to identify the distributors. He lured victims to Telegram, falsely saying he would verify whether deepfake images existed if they sent him photographs.
Once the perpetrator obtained photos, he used them to coerce victims into sending explicit images and videos, which he then fabricated into child sexual abuse material. According to Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Cyber Crime Investigation Division, between July 2024 and April 2025, he created 34 child sexual abuse materials from 19 victims, possessed 81 unlawful recordings, and held 1,832 false video materials including deepfakes.
The perpetrator told victims that if they recruited five other targets, he would release them from victimization. At least three teenage girls were identified as victims who became accomplices and were themselves arrested.
Reported impact
Nineteen teenage girls were victimized, with at least 19 minors targeted and a portion of them compelled to participate in recruiting additional victims. The perpetrator used increasingly sophisticated tactics including impersonating third parties to deceive victims into handing over material.
Index analysis
The perpetrator used deepfake technology to fabricate evidence of non-existent compromising material in order to initiate contact and establish coercive control over victims. The false claims served as an initial social engineering vector to gain trust before exploitation began.
The case demonstrates how deepfake claimsβwhether real or fabricatedβcan be weaponized as a grooming and coercion tool against minors, particularly girls with evident sexual curiosity.
Governance controls
Seoul police reported that the arrest followed from a National Investigation Service-led crackdown on false video crimes between August 2024 and March 2025, during which authorities apprehended 224 cyber sexual violence suspects, with 13 placed in custody.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.