The rush for BigBang concert tickets has already resulted in at least S$3,500 in reported scam losses.
Since the start of August, at least five BigBang-related ticket scam cases have been reported in Singapore, resulting in total known losses of at least S$3,500.
To be clear, S$3,500 is the combined amount lost across the reported cases, not the sum lost by a single victim.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) disclosed the figures on 13 August, the same day that general ticket sales for the group’s Singapore concert began.
Buyers Paid in Advance but Received No Tickets
According to SPF, victims encountered advertisements or listings for BigBang tickets on online platforms.
They contacted the purported sellers and made advance payments using methods such as PayNow or bank transfers.
After receiving the money, the scammers either stopped responding or failed to deliver the promised tickets. Victims subsequently realised that they could no longer contact the sellers or had paid for tickets that never arrived.
Police have approached Carousell to request the removal of resale listings relating to the concert.
SPF also noted that Facebook Marketplace does not permit event ticket sales under Meta’s commerce policies, while TikTok Shop does not support concert ticket sales.
Scams Emerged Before General Sales Even Began
BigBang’s official fan-club pre-sale started on 11 August, followed by a Trip.com pre-sale on 12 August. General sales through Ticketmaster began at 10am on 13 August.
However, SPF said scammers had already begun exploiting the intense demand before the general sale opened.
The ticket frenzy was visible from the first pre-sale. Virtual queue numbers reportedly exceeded 300,000, while some fans shared screenshots showing numbers above 500,000.
Official tickets for the 17 October concert at the National Stadium cost between S$158 and S$498.
The enormous demand also led to third-party “Help-To-Buy” services charging fees of as much as S$750, on top of the ticket price. Now, the rush has produced a more serious problem: people losing real money to sellers who may not possess any tickets at all.
Police Recommend Buying Only From Authorised Sellers
SPF advised concertgoers to purchase tickets only through authorised platforms.
Buyers who are uncertain about an offer can check suspicious contact details, messages and links using the ScamShield app, or call the 24-hour ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
Fraudulent listings should also be reported to the platform on which they appear.
