Hong Kong police have arrested five mainland Chinese visitors on suspicion of selling highly advanced counterfeit tickets for superstar Sammi Cheng Sau-man’s sold-out concerts.
The force said on Tuesday eight fake tickets seized in last week’s operation replicated security features on the genuine ones, prompting police to urge residents not to buy concert tickets from unauthorised sources or scalpers.
“The fakes replicated various security features, including the paper quality, fonts, watermark, QR codes and anti-counterfeiting labels,” Chief Inspector Chan Hoi-leung of the Kowloon City district crime squad said.
But he highlighted that the counterfeit tickets seized from different victims had the same seat number printed on them.
“Due to the high level of sophistication, scammers even offered face-to-face transactions and on-site ticket verification to gain the victims’ trust,” Chan said.
Police launched an investigation after receiving multiple reports from the victims who bought bogus tickets online or outside the performance venue – Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom – in cash or via electronic transfers.
“When they tried to enter the venue, they were informed that the tickets were invalid, and the tickets they had bought were subsequently confirmed to be counterfeit,” the chief inspector said.
Police arrested five men aged 34 to 46 last Friday outside the Hung Hom venue, where “You & Mi Sammi Cheng World Tour” is being held until July 28.
“The five men were suspected to have sold eight fake concert tickets to three victims, involving the combined amount of around HK$8,000,” a police spokesman said.
According to the force, the five suspects are visiting from the mainland and hold two-way permits – a travel document that allows mainlanders to visit Hong Kong.
The men were detained on suspicion of obtaining property by deception – an offence punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
The chief inspector reminded the public to be cautious over the fraudulent ticket verification method.
“People should be cautious when purchasing tickets from any activities from non-official channels to avoid falling victim to these scams,” Chan said.
Police said the suspects had been released on bail pending further investigation. Detectives from the Kowloon City criminal investigation unit are following up on the case.
