Over the next few months, several concerts featuring popular international artists such as Taylor Swift and Coldplay will be held in Singapore. The Police have since observed a resurgence of a scam variant involving the sale of concert tickets. Since January 2023, at least 462 victims have fallen prey, with total losses amounting to at least $480,000.
In this scam variant, victims would come across advertisements for concert tickets on e-commerce or social media platforms such as Carousell, Xiaohongshu, Facebook, Telegram and Twitter. Victims would then approach the scammers via the individual platform’s in-app messaging function, and in some cases, redirected to messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, or WeChat to purchase the tickets. When asked for proof of authenticity of the tickets, scammers would provide screenshots and videos of fake tickets or receipts. To urge victims into making payment quickly, scammers would claim that ticket sales were time-sensitive or limited in quantity, and also promised to email or transfer the tickets to the victims’ Ticketmaster[1] account after successful payment. Payments are usually made via virtual credits (e.g., iTunes), PayNow or bank transfers. In some cases, the scammers would also request for additional payments by citing reasons such as not receiving the payments sent by the victims.
Once payments were received, scammers would delay the delivery of tickets by claiming that they were unable to transfer the tickets to the victims, and thereafter become uncontactable. For victims who have received their tickets via email or WhatsApp, they would realise that they have been scammed when these tickets are found to be invalid on the day of the concerts or when the scammers refuse to also provide the physical tickets.
[1]Ticketmaster provides booking and ticketing services for the arts and entertainment industry (i.e., concerts) with a worldwide reach.
The Police would like to remind the public to be discerning when shopping online, especially when purchasing concert tickets from online third-party resellers. The Police would also like to advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- ADD - ScamShield App and set security features (e.g., enable two-factor (2FA) or multifactor authentication for banks and set transaction limits on internet banking transactions). Do not purchase tickets from third-party resellers. Use “escrow” payment options that protect buyers by releasing payment to the seller only upon delivery and avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers as this method does not offer any protection to buyers. Purchase only from authorised sellers and legitimate ticket marketplaces/resellers, such as Ticketmaster.
- CHECK - For scam signs and with official sources (e.g., visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688). Arrange for a physical meet-up with the seller to verify the authenticity of the physical tickets prior to making payment. Bear in mind that the party you are dealing with online is a stranger.
- TELL - Authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report the fraudulent advertisements to the social media and e-commerce platforms!
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community.
Examples of Concert Ticket Listings on Xiao Hong Shu and Twitter ▼
Examples of Conversations between a Scammer and Victim ▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
06 July 2023 @ 6:50 PM