Beware of frauds on Kpop artists' autographs!

Autographed kpop stuffs aren't difficult to find nowadays. There are many websites and facebook pages online that offers to help fans from overseas to buy their favourite Kpop artists' autographed albums, photobooks, photos, polaroids, posters and many other collectibles. Many black markets took this opportunity to cheat the kpop fans by selling fake autographs of the artists. Most of the fake autographs suppliers claimed to be people from Korea as they know fans will mostly buy as long as it is originated from Korea, they won't care to check whether are those original or fake. Fans have to know that, although the autographs are from Korea, there are also fake stuffs produced from Korea too. Just like Malaysia, we have original Malaysian made stuffs and also fake Malaysian made stuffs. Not all Kpop autographs from Korea are real.

Those fake autographed stuffs are sold online with a very high prices as fans are implanted with the theory that autographed stuffs of Kpop artists must be sky high price. This is is totally wrong. Not all expensive stuffs are real stuffs. The fake autographed 4R photo sold costed RM60 while the original ones costed RM45.

Besides, there are certainly NO official hand signed stuffs that are produced by the entertainment company. NO entertainment company from Korea such as YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment, DSP Entertainment, Starship Entertainment, Cube Entertainment and many others will ever produce official hand signed stuffs. Well, there are PRINTED autographed photocards that are sold by SM Entertainment but there are certainly NO official hand signed stuffs. This is because if it is official hand signed stuffs, it means that all of the things must be signed by the artists themselves and not printed by the machines. Imagine there are million fans in the world who wants to buy the official stuffs, impossible that the artist are going to sign the stuffs one by one. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE.

In addition, there are real autographs sold online too. But fans still have to be careful. Those real autographs are mostly imported from Korea as fans in Korea can get autographs from the Kpop artists much more easier. Kpop stars have many fan sign events, fan meeting, concerts, press conference, live performances, interviews, variety shows recordings over in Korea. Medias in Korea can get close to the artists and get their autographs easily for promotion use.

In Korea, when Kpop artists come out with new albums, they normally autographs a stack of albums and send it to the medias for promotion use. If the medias can't use them anymore, they can always sell it to the sellers/fans or giveaway. Fans must be curious how come some of the sellers can sell them in a low price. Well, some suppliers bought the albums from the medias or get it straight from the artists during their fan sign events, they get it in a big amount. Fans are mostly students, so suppliers, who are kind and truly wants fans to get the autographed stuffs will keep the price low.


There are a few steps below suggested by me to all Kpop fans on how to compare the fake and real autographed stuffs.

1. Always update your Oppa and Noona's autographed online. Their latest autographs can easily be found online as there are many Korean fans who attend their fan sign events will always update their autographs online. Here is a photo sample of the autographed obtained from fan sign events. (Over in Korea, fan sign events are not like fan meeting in Malaysia, fans in Korea can spend more time talking to the artists when they get their autographs on stage. They can chit chat with them, take photo, and ask them to answer the questions they have prepared written on a paper pinned in the album. The artists will always answer their question by ticking the answer provided by fans or by leaving a message)

Fan sign of JeongMin (Boyfriend)

Fan sign of Super Junior

Fan sign of SungMin (Super Junior)

Fan sign of SeoHyun (SNSD)

2. There is NO OFFICIAL autographed stuffs of Kpop artists other than printed official stuffs.

Printed official autographs of Boyfriend

3. Kpop artists' company will never sell Kpop artists' autographs online or to anybody.

4. OBVIOUSLY, the fake autographs will not look natural and it is signed with hesitation and messiness. Although sometimes the original ones might also look messy as artists might be signing too many and the autograph starts to become messy, the fake one will always look awkward and purposely. Always compare to the real autographs before buying. It might not look totally the same cause hand signed stuffs will never look totally the same, but it won't differ much as long as the artists did not change his/her autograph.

5. Kpop artists will not accidentally signed on the wrong photo or signed wrongly. They won't accidentally sign on other member's photo or give the wrong autograph. Even though they are twins, sign wrongly on other member's photo is not acceptable. It is impossible that they can't recognize their own face :)

KwangMin and YoungMin's autograph switched

HyunSeong and JeongMin autograph switched

6. There is only a mild chance that there are members who did not autograph the collectibles when all the others signed.

MinWoo's autograph is not there and KwangMin and YoungMin's autograph is switched.

7. Always check the sample photo displayed by the supplier to check how the stuffs might look like.

8. There is certainly NO duplicated polaroids. Most of the sellers selling polaroids with autographs at a price below RM150 are selling fake polaroids. The reason that polaroids are expensive is because they are not reprintable and there will be only one copy in the whole wide world. If the picture of the polaroid is easily found online, looks like fancam pictures or really colourful, almost printed pictures, those are fake polaroids.

These are real polaroids

Example of fake polaroid:

The real picture that can be found easily online. This is a photo of Yoona's selca she updated on her UFO account.

These are only a few steps to check. Suppliers can still cheat in other ways that might be difficult to check by following the steps above. To keep it save, buy from recognized and suggested website or suppliers.
If you have any other suggestions to differentiate the fake and real autographs or your have any stories to share, or even more fake autographs photos, please email to hyori_phr@hotmail.com with the title [Frauds on Kpop autographs].

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http://colenehyori.blogspot.com/2012/09/beware-of-frauds-on-kpop-artists.html