Singapore Police warn of resurgence of concert ticket scams

The return of live entertainment to Singapore’s has been accompanied by a return of ticketing scams for popular concert events.

Singapore Police last week warned ticket buyers should be wary of being scammed when searching for tickets at a discount or for sold-out events.

As reported by The Straits Times, Singapore Police have warned ticket buyers that scammers may claim that the ticket sales are time-sensitive or limited in stock, to convince buyers to make upfront payment for the tickets, with victims only discovering they have been scammed when they do not receive the tickets after making payment, or when the tickets turn out to be invalid on the day of the event.

A statement from the Singapore Police said to be particularly wary of third-party resellers and to “remain vigilant” when researching tickets for events, advising “as Singapore embraces the return of large-scale physical events and concerts, the police would like to remind the public to be discerning online shoppers, especially when purchasing tickets for events or concerts from online third-party resellers

“Members of the public are advised to remain vigilant, as scammers may take this opportunity to target online shoppers by enticing them with cheap event tickets, concert ticket deals or sold-out tickets at inflated prices.”

The statement also advised consumers to purchase tickets through authorised sellers or “reputable sources” and that buying cheap tickets from resellers was “risky”.

The Straits Times reported that the latest crime figures released showed that Singaporeans lost at least S$633 million (US$633 million) to scams last year.