Hong Kong police arrest 5 on suspicion of selling fake tickets to Cantopop star Sammi Cheng’s concerts
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong police have arrested five men on suspicion of selling fake tickets to Cantopop star Sammi Cheng’s sought-after concerts.
Police said on Tuesday that they arrested five mainland Chinese men, aged between 34 and 46, last Friday for allegedly selling counterfeit tickets for Cheng’s concerts, which is running until Sunday at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom.
Police said they received multiple reports by people who purchased tickets online or outside the concert venue, but were later told that their tickets were invalid.
“Upon investigation, police found that such tickets bore the anti-counterfeit features of official tickets, including the texture, the font, the QR code, and anti-counterfeit labels,” Chief Inspector Chan Hoi-leung of the force’s Kowloon City district crime squad said in Cantonese.
Some of the counterfeit tickets were printed with the same seat numbers but otherwise appeared highly authentic, Chan said.
“Scammers also proposed [meeting] the victims at the [venue] to complete the transaction and verify the tickets, thereby gaining their trust,” he added.
The criminal investigative unit of the Kowloon City district identified a suspect and arrested him, and four others, outside the Coliseum last Friday.
The five men were arrested on suspicion of obtaining property by deception, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, and were granted bail pending further investigation.
The suspects allegedly sold eight counterfeits to three victims, involving losses of between HK$1,500 and 3,300 each, Chan said.
Chan urged residents not to purchase event tickets through non-official means or without knowing their origins.
He also said scammers selling fake tickets could appear at any event venues and people should not easily believe their “verification” methods.
Cheng’s concerts – the 11th time the singer takes the Coliseum stage – were delayed for a year. The singer told fans she had suffered from long Covid symptoms.
Tickets were sold out almost immediately after sales began last May. Since the concerts began on July 12, posts by ticket scalpers have appeared on platforms such as Facebook and mainland Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.