Fan duped of $180,000 in G-Dragon ticket scam—largest loss in 30 frequent cases

Hong Kong police have issued a warning after uncovering nearly 30 fraud cases involving fake tickets for K-pop superstar G-Dragon’s upcoming concert in the city, with total losses exceeding HK$610,000.

The cases were reported amid a surge in online shopping scams, accounting for about 40 percent of over 200 ticket-related fraud incidents since mid-July.

Kwon Ji Yong—better known by his stage moniker G-Dragon, the leader of the legendary K-pop group BIGBANG, is set to perform for three consecutive days starting this Friday at the AsiaWorld-Expo as part of his world tour. However, excitement for the highly anticipated event has been marred by scammers exploiting desperate fans.

In one alarming case, a female fan was cheated out of more than HK$180,000 after attempting to purchase tickets through Facebook.

The victim initially transferred HK$8,800 for two tickets—priced at HK$2,399 each—but the scammer repeatedly demanded additional "deposit fees" to secure the seats.

After making three separate payments, the victim lost contact with the seller, realizing too late that she had been deceived.

Authorities have urged the public to exercise extreme caution when buying tickets online, especially as fraudulent posts often spike before major events.

Police advised verifying sellers’ backgrounds by checking their phone numbers, bank account details, and social media profiles for any red flags or negative reviews.