Hong Kong Police arrest five over sale of fake concert tickets

Hong Kong Police have arrested five men for allegedly selling fake tickets to Cantopop Andy Lau Tak-wah holiday season concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum via online platforms.

Inspector Tai Kwong-fai of the Kowloon City district crime squad said on Saturday that the suspects, aged between 18 and 45, were apprehended between 27th December and 3rd January, and that more arrests could be under way.

As reported by the South China Morning Post, Inspector Tai advised “the confiscated counterfeit concert tickets were very realistic. It would be very difficult for the average (buyer) to verify (their authenticity) from the font, anti-forgery features and the paper used.”

Tickets for the concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum between 17th December and 10th January 10 were priced between HK$680 (US$87.50) and HK$1,280 (US$164) on the official sales channel.

The fake tickets were sold at a high mark-up of HK$2,000 (US$257) to HK$5,000 ($643).

With around two dozen cases of fake ticket sales being reported, the five suspects were arrested for allegedly dishonestly obtaining property belonging to another by deception.

Victims bought the tickets through different online platforms or social media and paid by cash or bank transfer, only to be told by concert venue staff that they could not enter when arriving at the venue.

Urging the public to avoid buying tickets from unofficial channels or strangers online, Inspector Tai noted “the swindlers would also lower the victims’ suspicion by meeting them in person for the transaction and providing ways to examine the tickets. These cases are still happening.”

He urged consumers to check the force’s anti-scam app, Scameter, if they were suspicious.

Hong Kong is the final destination for Lau on his current concert tour, after stops in Macau, Singapore, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur in October.

Hong Kong Police have also arrested 31 people from a syndicate that produced deepfake romance and investment scams to defraud victims in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, with criminal proceeds exceeding HK$34 million (US$4.37 million).

Image: Hong Kong Police say the confiscated counterfeit concert tickets are “very realistic”. Credit: Hong Kong Police.