Singapore police have advised people to be aware of ticket blocking scams that would take place between the last quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. So, people who are willing to visit the upcoming concerts of Maroon 5, Sam Smith and Mariah Carey, they should protect themselves from the online scammers.
In a statement, released by the Singapore Police Force on Saturday, they stated that last year, the officials have received almost 120 reports of online purchase scams specifically involving the sale of concert tickets.
As per the police, in such cases either the victim did not receive the ticket or the scammers have sent fake or invalid tickets after receiving the payment, made by the people.
Police have listed few crime prevention measures for the Singapore residents that would help them to avoid such scams. These are:
- Don't be impulsive – Be wary of online advertisements of concert/show tickets at cheap prices that sound too good to be true! Do not buy on impulse. Read the reviews of the seller before committing to a purchase.
- Don't believe – Scammers may use a local bank account or provide a copy of an NRIC/driver's licence to make you believe that they are genuine sellers. Do not fall for it!
- Don't give – As you are dealing with strangers, avoid making payments or deposits in advance.
- Try to use shopping platforms/arrangements that release your payment to the seller only upon receipt of the item.
- Alternatively, arrange to meet the seller and pay only after collecting your tickets. Bear in mind that the tickets may still be invalid (e.g. duplicated tickets) upon entry. You are therefore advised to purchase only from authorised sellers.
The advisory statement also stated that if anyone needs any advice related to the scams, they may call the National Crime Prevention Council's anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or can visit www.scamalert.sg.
A 23-year-old woman was arrested on August 15 for her alleged involvement in two ticket scams that includes National Day Parade and JJ Lin's concert. After receiving 16 reports, where the victims claimed that they have purchased tickets from a woman via bank transfer but never received the promised tickets and when they tried to contact her, she was untraceable.
