You get hold of a celebrity's phone number.

You call, perhaps not expecting him to answer or thinking an assistant will very likely respond on his behalf.

But Wang Yibo, 21, part of South Korean-Chinese boyband Uniq, was on the line when fans - who reportedly paid money to hackers who got hold of his number - called.

According to 38jiejie.com, a fan - shocked that Wang actually picked up the call - became speechless and hurriedly terminated the call.

But the singer called back and politely told the fan not to call him again.

Wang also asked the fan to tell others not to bother him.

Other fans posted that they also got through to Wang, praising him for his humility and willingness to interact with fans even when he knew that his number had been hacked and sold.

But Wang soon got tired of the incessant calls, and posted an appeal on Weibo.

"Don't call my number anymore. Also, don't buy my number anymore.

"This has seriously affected my lifestyle.

"Don't waste this money. I will change my number tomorrow," he wrote.

He added that he needed his privacy even if it was a chore to get a new number, tell loved ones about it and update transaction arrangements linked to his phone number.

He also posted screenshots of his phone indicating 194 missed calls from unknown numbers.

Wang's management agency is threatening to take action, saying it has kept a record of these numbers and that it may turn them over to the authorities.

Another celebrity, Xiao Zhan, 27, who co-stars with Wang in popular web series The Untamed, was also reportedly a victim of fans who managed to cancel his flight booking without his knowledge.

Xiao was forced to wait at the airport for another flight, giving these fans a chance to get close to him, and "help" him make another booking.