Man charged in K-pop ticket scams involving more than $38,000
He became evasive and uncontactable after receiving money from 43 victims
He would make bogus offers of tickets to in-demand concerts like those of Korean pop groups BTS and Blackpink on online marketplace Carousell.
After his victims gave him money, Chua Yi An, 24, would become evasive and uncontactable.
In all, 43 victims were left high and dry, while Chua spent $38,608 of his ill-gotten gains on food, drink, a fortnight at a Jurong hotel and on computer gaming.
Yesterday, Chua pleaded guilty to 16 counts of cheating, with another 32 similar charges taken into consideration.
Court documents revealed only $2,280 was recovered and Chua has so far made no restitution.
The amounts he cheated people of ranged from $65 for an official BTS light stick he did not have, to thousands of dollars.
In one case, Chua cheated a 20-year-old out of $13,125 in a series of scams.
He responded to the victim's Carousell advertisement asking for BTS tickets using two different usernames, and the victim gave him more than $2,000 for six tickets and six light sticks.
The victim did not receive the items Chua promised.
On Jan 23, Chua contacted the victim using WhatsApp, claiming to be "Xiaoqi", a partner in a clothing business with one of the bogus sellers, "Kaixuan".
Chua said he would return some of the money he owed via cheque if the victim transferred $2,500 to "Kaixuan's" boyfriend, which the victim did.
The next day, he told the victim that a clothing supplier had to be paid before the refund could be processed and asked the victim to transfer $1,049 to another bank account.
In fact, these were to pay for virtual game currency and a necklace Chua had bought.
Chua then asked the victim if she wanted to invest in the bogus clothing business, promising a five-fold profit.
The victim gave him $7,440, which he used to buy more virtual game currency.
Chua also cheated another of his victims a second time by promising the 16-year-old a share of the profits in a scam to re-sell BTS tickets.
He was nabbed after a police report was made last November and more victims later came forward.
Seeking a jail term of 24 to 26 months, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kelvin Chong said Chua's scams involved a lot of planning and premeditation.
Multiple victims as young as 13 and the large sum involved were also aggravating factors.
Calling Chua a habitual offender, DPP Chong highlighted a previous conviction in 2017, when Chua was jailed 10 weeks for an investment scam.
"The accused's conduct has escalated.
"It has gotten worse," DPP Chong told the court.
Chua, who was unrepresented, asked for a lighter sentence.
He is expected to return to court on July 12 for sentencing.
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