Concert ticket scams: 1,500 people have lost $1.1 million in total over the past year
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SINGAPORE – There has been a resurgence in scams involving the sale of concert tickets by online third-party resellers, with at least 1,534 victims losing a total of $1.1 million or more between January 2023 and January 2024.
This comes as popular performers such as Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Shinee and Bruno Mars are expected to perform in Singapore in the next few months.
The police said on Feb 2 that victims would come across listings of concert tickets on online platforms such as Telegram, Carousell, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Xiaohongshu. They would then contact the scammers via the in-app messenger.
They may be redirected to other messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or WeChat to make the purchase. They would then be instructed to transfer money via PayNow, bank transfers or virtual credits such as gift cards.
The police added that the most number of concert ticket scams involved tickets listed on Telegram in January 2024.
There were 139 victims who lost a total of at least $42,000 this way in January alone, said the police.
Once payment has been made, the scammers would often ask for additional payments, delay the delivery of tickets and/or become uncontactable.
For victims who did receive the tickets, they would later find them to be invalid at the concert venues. In some cases, the scammers refused to provide physical tickets or any proof of authenticity.
In 2023, at least 522 victims had fallen prey
The $518,000 was almost triple the $175,000 lost to such scams in the whole of 2022.
The police urge those who shop online to be careful, especially when buying concert tickets from online third-party resellers.
They can take precautions by adding security features such as the ScamShield app on the phone and enabling two-factor authentication for banks, as well as setting limits on Internet banking transactions.
They should also avoid making payments in advance or direct bank transfers, as this method does not offer any protection to buyers.
People should buy tickets only from authorised sellers and legitimate ticket marketplaces or resellers, such as Ticketmaster.
A physical meeting should be arranged with the seller to verify the authenticity of the tickets prior to making payment, the police said.
Anyone with information relating to such crimes should call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000, or submit details online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness
For more information on scams, visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688.
