An administrative clerk who denied selling counterfeit concert tickets for pop star Sammi Cheng’s world tour at various mass transit railway stations 2 years ago was convicted on all 6 counts of fraud and attempted fraud at Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts on Friday.

Deputy District Court Judge Li Chi-ho rejected the testimony of the defendant, 34-year-old Mong, ruling that her claims of innocence were highly unreasonable and that she was fully aware the tickets were forged.

The defense revealed in mitigation that Mong suffers from severe depression and active suicidal tendencies, prompting psychiatric recommendations for correctional staff to closely monitor her safety.

Li adjourned the sentencing to October 30 pending a background report, and the defendant was remanded in custody.

Special ultraviolet tests utilized to deceive buyers at railway stations

The prosecution stated that 6 victims had separately inquired about tickets for the "You & Mi Sammi Cheng Live" on local online marketplace Carousell and social media platform Facebook. Scammers offered pairs of tickets at prices ranging from HK$1,600 to HK$3,500, subsequently arranging in-person handovers at Hung Hom and Mong Kok East railway stations.

Mong met with the buyers at the designated stations, where she actively worked to earn their trust by shining an ultraviolet flashlight onto the tickets to demonstrate what she claimed were authentic anti-counterfeiting watermarks.

5 of the buyers fell victim to the ruse, handing over a collective sum of HK$9,100, only to discover they had been defrauded when venue staff turned them away on the night of the concert.

The 6th buyer grew suspicious of the ticket quality during the exchange and immediately flagged down patrolling police officers nearby to arrest Mong.

Claims of financial distress and mystery handler dismissed as fabrication

During the trial, the defense disputed the voluntariness of Mong’s initial confession to police, claiming she was intimidated into admitting to the crimes under the impression that she would not be allowed to leave otherwise.

Li dismissed this explanation as entirely illogical, questioning why Mong did not query her continued detention after giving the statement if she truly believed a confession was her ticket to freedom.

Mong further testified that she was desperate for money to fund her mother’s medical treatments and was merely acting on instructions from a handler named "Kelvin" who watched from a distance.

Li dismissed this narrative as a calculated fabrication, questioning why any coordinator would incur unnecessary expenses to hire Mong to make deliveries that he could have easily completed himself.

Having accepted Mong's initial voluntary confession in its entirety, the judge ruled that she acted with full knowledge of the fraud, finding her guilty on 5 counts of fraud and 1 count of attempted fraud.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓