A man has lost more than HK$47,000 after purchasing tickets for a sold-out concert by Hong Kong singer MC Cheung Tin-fu on the online marketplace Carousell, police said, as they reported nearly 70 related scam cases in a single week.
Cheung will stage his E=MC² concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum from July 7 to 11, with strong demand leaving tickets in short supply.
In one case, a man transferred more than HK$47,000 to a seller on Carousell for two tickets after being persuaded through various excuses to make multiple payments. The victim later realised he had been scammed.
Police, citing their “CyberDefender” Facebook page, said they received nearly 70 reports of concert ticket scams last week alone, with total losses exceeding HK$1.3 million.
Authorities warned that fraudsters typically use fake payment links, request deposits before disappearing, or circulate counterfeit physical tickets and screenshots of “successful purchases” to build trust with buyers.
They added that official platforms will never request banking passwords, credit card security codes, or one-time passwords via external links.
Police urged the public to avoid clicking suspicious links and to conduct face-to-face transactions whenever possible, verifying tickets on the spot.
They also encouraged the use of Scameter+, which allows users to check phone numbers, bank accounts and FPS IDs before making payments.
