Hong Kong woman loses HK$180,000 in K-pop star G-Dragon concert ticket scam

Scammers have conned a woman out of HK$180,000 (US$23,000) over tickets for Korean singer G-Dragon’s coming sell-out concerts in Hong Kong, one of nearly 30 victims cheated out of more than HK$610,000 for the three shows.

Hong Kong police on Monday urged the public to exercise caution when buying tickets to events after receiving more than 200 reports of related swindles since mid-July, accounting for 40 per cent of all online shopping scam cases.

Almost 30 cases involved G-Dragon concert tickets, with victims losing more than HK$610,000.

The 36-year-old South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, is set to hold three concerts at AsiaWorld-Arena from Friday to Sunday, with tickets priced between HK$799 and HK$2,399. All three shows, part of the K-pop star’s world tour, are sold out.

In one case, a woman bought two tickets on Facebook for a G-Dragon show for HK$8,800, significantly more expensive than the original price of HK$2,399 for one.

After transferring the money, the seller repeatedly demanded “deposits” to secure the tickets. The victim ended up paying HK$180,000 in three separate transfers before the seller cut off all contact.