Concert fever is at an all-time high at the moment, with everyone rushing to buy tickets to Taylor Swift’s shows in Singapore last week.
Those who were unsuccessful in snagging tickets may have subsequently been tempted to purchase them from third-party websites.
However, scams are frequent on such platforms, and anyone can fall victim if they do not exercise enough caution.
This was the case recently for an engineer in Malaysia who lost RM11,530 (S$3,300) while attempting to buy tickets on Carousell.
The Star reported that on 6 July, a 50-year-old engineer from Kuching, Sarawak came across a listing for Taylor Swift concert tickets on Carousell.
The tickets promised entry to the pop superstar’s upcoming shows in Singapore, taking place in March next year.
Source: Taylor Swift on Instagram
Due to his interest in attending the show, he purchased three tickets for RM11,530 (S$3,300).
The seller had given him a bank account number and he transferred the money to it as payment on 6 and 7 July.
He only realised it was a scam when he was no longer able to contact the seller to claim the tickets.
On 7 July, he filed a police report regarding the matter, The New Straits Times (NST) reported.
Earlier this week, Swifties were in a frenzy as they fought for a chance to purchase tickets to Taylor Swift’s six shows in Singapore.
With presales for UOB cardholders kicking off on 5 July, Ticketmaster eventually announced that tickets had sold out two days later.
Naturally, scalpers popped up on third-party platforms such as Carousell to use the situation to their advantage.
They resold tickets for up to S$28,888 — over ten times the original price.
Source: Carousell
The same phenomenon occurred for Coldplay’s shows in Singapore, for which tickets were resold at up to S$1,000 on Carousell.
Source: Carousell
With so many iconic musicians gracing our shores, it’s natural to want to catch a glimpse of them in person.
Opting to purchase tickets to their shows through third-party websites, however, always carries a certain risk — as this engineer found out the hard way.
Hopefully, his ordeal will serve as a warning for all of us to refrain from engaging with scalpers.
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Featured image adapted from Taylor Swift on Instagram.
"To me, bamboo bee plum means plum shaped like bamboo bees", said the customer.
The passenger claimed they were treated like criminals over a tuna sandwich.
The boy is an only child to the single mum.
Authorities had to use equipment to pry the vehicle open to free the man.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
He crossed the border daily in hopes of buying a house for his family.