Taylor Swift ticket scams have cost 334 victims up to S$213,000 in Jan. & Feb. 2024
Scams involving Taylor Swift concert tickets and third party resellers between January and February 2024 have affected at least 334 victims, for up to S$213,000.
On Mar. 1, the Singapore Police Force again warned the public in a statement that scammers were listing Taylor Swift concert tickets for sale on online platforms such as Telegram, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, and Xiaohongshu.
They would then redirect potential buyers to messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, or WeChat, where the victims would be told to use Paynow, bank transfers, or virtual credits (such as iTunes credits) to pay for tickets.
But those tickets would either not be delivered, the sellers would become uncontactable, or the victims would arrive at concerts and realise that the tickets were invalid.
Scammers would also refuse to provide physical tickets, or provide any proof of authenticity.
The police are advising members of the public to take precautionary measures, such as using the ScamShield App to protect themselves from scam calls or messages.
They also advise using security features such as transaction limits and two factor or multifactor authentication for their banks and e-wallets.
They urged using www.scamalert.sg or the Anti-Scam hotline at 1-800-722-688 to check for signs of scams.
The police further advised against using third party resellers to purchase tickets, and to only buy tickets from authorised sellers and ticket marketplaces, such as Ticketmaster.
They also requested that those who had been affected by scams to report for the scam listings to social media sites; as well as inform the authorities, as well as their family and friends about the scams.
Members of the public could use the police hotline at 1-800-255-0000 to report scams, or even if they are in doubt. They can also submit such information online.
Scams relating to the sold-out Taylor Swift concerts have been affecting Swift’s fans for several months, with some fans being scammed for several hundreds of dollars.
Carousell, the online marketplace, has even decided to remove Taylor Swift concert ticket listings, although the police warned that scammers might relocate to Telegram instead.
Earlier in 2024, the police reported arresting four people for participating in e-commerce scams selling concert tickets.
It was then reported that there were 538 victims with losses amounting to S$223,000 involving a number of upcoming concerts, including Taylor swift, Coldplay, Joker Xue, and K-pop group En-Hyphen.
