The Police would like to remind members of the public to be discerning online shoppers, especially when seeking to buy concert tickets from third-party resellers, in light of the upcoming Taylor Swift concerts. In January and February 2024, at least 334 victims have fallen prey with total losses amounting to at least $213,000, specific to concert ticket scams featuring Taylor Swift concerts.
In this variant, victims would come across listings of concert tickets for sale through online platforms such as Telegram, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, and Xiaohongshu. Scammers then would redirect the interested victims to WhatsApp/Telegram/WeChat for further interactions. Victims would then be instructed to make payments for the tickets via PayNow, bank transfers or virtual credits (e.g. iTunes cards).
Victims would realise they had been scammed when the scammers did not deliver the tickets or become uncontactable. For victims who have received their tickets, they would realise they have been scammed when tickets are found to be invalid at concert venues or when scammers refuse to provide physical tickets or any proof of authenticity.
With Carousell suspending the sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets on its platform, the Police would like to alert members of the public that scammers may pivot to other platforms, in particular, Telegram.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- ADD - ScamShield App to protect yourself from scam calls and SMSes. Set security features (e.g. set up transaction limits for internet banking transactions, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Multifactor Authentication for banks and e-wallets).
- CHECK - For scam signs and with official sources (e.g., visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688). Do not purchase tickets from third-party resellers. Purchase only from authorised sellers and legitimate ticket marketplaces/resellers, such as Ticketmaster as such sites offer verification of tickets and guaranteed refunds if victims receive invalid tickets. Always make payment only after receiving the tickets.
- TELL - Authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report the fraudulent listings to the social media sites.
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!
Annex A
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
01 March 2024 @ 1:30 PM