$66k lost in a fortnight to concert ticket scams
At least $66,000 has been lost in about two weeks to scams over fake concert tickets, with many cases involving shows by pop acts such as Hong Kong star Andy Lau and K-pop group 2NE1.
The police said on Oct 17 that there were at least 92 reported cases in which victims bought fake concert tickets through third-party platforms from Oct 1 to 15.
Lau played a four-night concert in Singapore beginning on Oct 10, while 2NE1 is slated to perform here on Dec 21 and 22.
In variations of the scam, victims would respond to advertisements or listings of concert tickets for sale on online platforms such as Telegram, Carousell, X and Xiaohongshu.
They usually paid the conmen via PayNow or bank transfers.
It was only when the scammers became uncontactable or did not deliver the tickets that the victims realised they had been taken for a ride.
Some who received electronic or physical tickets realised they had been defrauded only when the tickets they presented at the shows were found to be invalid.
The police advised the public to download the ScamShield app and purchase tickets only from authorised sellers and legitimate ticket marketplaces.
The public can also report the fraudulent advertisements to the respective platforms.
To learn how to stay safe from scams, go to scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield helpline on 1799.
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