Singapore sees surge in concert ticket scams in 2023 worth S$518,000

Singapore has witnessed a rise in concert ticket scams this year, with reports that citizens have lost over S$518,000 (£303,000/€352,000/$386,000) between January 1 and July 10.

A written parliamentary reply from Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K. Shanmugam, in response to a question by Radin Mas SMC Member of Parliament Melvin Yong Yik Chye, revealed that the losses were due to ticketing scams for concerts.

The written reply revealed that in 2018, the money lost to concert ticket scams was roughly S$84,000; S$66,000 in 2019; S$9,000 in 2020; S$3,000 in 2021 and $175,000 in 2022. 

It is clear to see that as countries moved away from pandemic restrictions and more events were able to take place, scalpers were praying on those desperate to see their favourite artists. 

According to a report from Yahoo News Singapore, Minister of State for Home Affairs Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, addressed the measure being taken by the government to combat scams in parliament recently. 

The Singapore Police Force has also observed an increase in e-commerce scams, with a particular focus on concert tickets. Victims are targeted through e-commerce websites such as Carousell, or social media platforms like Facebook, Telegram and Twitter. 

Ibrahim said: “Once the payment is received, scammers would claim to be unable to transfer the tickets to the victim and thereafter become uncontactable. In some cases, victims may receive their tickets via email or WhatsApp, only to realise that the tickets are invalid on the actual day of the concert.”

To tackle these scams head on, the Ministry of Home Affairs is aiming to work closely with e-commerce and social media platforms to take down scam advertisements and accounts quickly. The Ministry has also partnered with ticket retailers, concert organisers and online platforms to issue advisories to help educate the public on concert ticket scams. 

The Singapore Police Force will also work with e-commerce and social media platforms to help prevent such scams.