Over 200 cases of online ticket sale scams last year

File photo showing a man using a laptop in a cafe. In 2018, victims of online ticket scams either did not receive the tickets or received invalid tickets after payments were made. PHOTO: ST FILE

More than 200 reports of e-commerce scams involving concert and event ticket sales worth at least $89,000 were received by the police last year.

The police revealed the figures in a Facebook post yesterday, warning concertgoers of such scams in the light of upcoming events.

In last year's cases, victims either did not receive the tickets or received invalid tickets after payments were made.

The post mentions upcoming concerts for the year including those by Korean boy band BTS, British singer Ed Sheeran, and American singers Josh Groban and John Mayer.

BTS will be performing this Saturday at the National Stadium.

The Straits Times reported last October that the tickets priced between $88 and $348 were sold out within four hours.

Sheeran is due to perform on April 26 at the same venue, with tickets between $68 and $248.

The same month, Mayer's debut concert will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Pre-sales for the April 1 show, priced from $108 to $248, started on Tuesday while public sales start today.

You Raise Me Up singer Groban performs next month. His Feb 25 concert at The Star Theatre has tickets between $108 and $328.

The police advised the public to avoid buying tickets at prices that seem too low, or making payments or deposits in advance.

"Try to use shopping platforms and arrangements that release your payment to the seller only upon receiving the item," the police said in their post.

Customers should purchase only from authorised sellers, they added.

On Sunday, ST reported that a scam site was phishing for personal details by impersonating national carrier Singapore Airlines and offering free plane tickets.

It was also reported last Saturday that scammers were impersonating the Singapore Police Force with a fake website to phish for personal details.

Those who wish to report scams should contact the police on 1800-255-0000 or at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness

More information on scams can be found by calling 1800-722-6688 or at www.scamalert.sg

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 17, 2019, with the headline Over 200 cases of online ticket sale scams last year. Subscribe