Four arrested for involvement in concert ticket scams affecting at least 583 victims
Derryn Wong
ONE man and three women have been arrested for their suspected involvement in scams relating to the sale of concert tickets on e-commerce platforms, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Thursday (Feb 8).
Since January 2024, at least 583 victims have been affected by the scams, with total losses amounting to at least S$223,000.
The scammers posed as sellers of tickets for the concerts of Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Yoasobi, Joker Xue, and Enhypen on platforms such as Carousell, Facebook, Telegram, Twitter and Xiao Hong Shu.
They provided fake images or videos of the tickets and/or purchase receipts, and would promise to email the tickets or transfer them to the victims’ Ticketmaster accounts upon receiving payment.
The victims realised they had been scammed when the sellers asked for additional payment, delayed delivery of the tickets, or ceased communication altogether. Some victims only realised they had been duped when they found the tickets to be invalid on the day of the concert itself.
The four individuals were arrested following a joint operation conducted between Jan 31 and Feb 6 by the Commercial Affairs Department, seven Police Land Divisions, e-commerce platform Carousell, and the Government Technology Agency.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the four had allegedly facilitated the scams for monetary gain by relinquishing Singpass credentials, bank accounts and/or Internet banking credentials to the scammers. They also allegedly opened new bank accounts and gave control of them to the scammers as well.
The misappropriated credentials were used by the scammers to open new bank accounts, mobile phone lines, and Carousell accounts to facilitate the scams.
Another seven men and four women are assisting police with the investigations. According to the preliminary investigations of the police, these individuals had unknowingly facilitated the scams in various ways.
SEE ALSO
This included:
- Accepting job offers on Telegram to facilitate the receipt and transfer of money through their bank accounts, or to receive money to buy Razer gift cards.
- Changing the name and e-mail address of their Carousell accounts, which were later taken over by scammers.
- A 15-year-old teenager who gave up control of their Carousell account to the scammer, who had offered to top up the Carousell wallet.
The police advise the public to purchase goods or services from authorised sellers or reputable sources and to avoid making upfront payments to bank accounts of unknown individuals, or advance payments and direct bank transfers to sellers.
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
