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Police have dismantled a suspected concert ticket fraud syndicate and arrested 10 people, uncovering mule bank accounts that handled more than HK$81 million in suspected criminal proceeds.
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The suspects, aged 18 to 46, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, obtaining property by deception and money laundering. Some were reported to have triad backgrounds.
Police said the bank accounts were also linked to at least 12 fraud cases involving losses of more than HK$360,000.
Investigations revealed that the syndicate set up fake social media pages impersonating physical electronics stores and shops selling Japanese and Korean groceries, sometimes using their addresses to appear legitimate.
The scammers claimed to have large quantities of tickets for popular concerts, often advertising discounted prices and face-to-face transactions without requiring deposits.
Once buyers agreed to purchase tickets, syndicate members arranged to meet them at MTR stations on the day of the event, sometimes demonstrating ticket verification techniques to convince victims that the counterfeit tickets were genuine.
Victims were asked to pay in cash or transfer money to designated mule accounts before the scammers disappeared and deleted their online posts. Many only discovered the fraud when they were denied entry to the concert venues.
Police warned that the counterfeit tickets were highly convincing and difficult to identify during brief transactions.
However, officers said the fake tickets seized in the operation had rougher paper, darker printing and lacked anti-counterfeiting watermarks compared with genuine tickets.
Investigators also uncovered a separate tactic in which scammers posed as concert fans offering free or discounted merchandise and fan support items, directing victims to fraudulent external links.
Police urged the public to purchase tickets through official channels, avoid buying from scalpers and remain vigilant when making online transactions.
