Five women have been arrested over an alleged scam involving tickets for various events, including a Mirror concert and last month's Lionel Messi-free Inter Miami game at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Police said the administrators of a WhatsApp group sold 1,900 tickets to more than 150 customers, raking in over HK$2 million.

However, only around 200 tickets materialised, officers said.

At a press briefing, Inspector So Sin-yi said three of those arrested had themselves reported the alleged scam, claiming that another of the suspects had told them that many more tickets would be available thanks to her links to event organisers.

The fifth suspect is a relative of one of the three women who went to the police.

"They [WhatsApp group administrators] claimed they could directly contact the organisers and they made repeated promises of a full refund in the event of them not being able to provide tickets, leading people to trust them. They profited by receiving commissions," So alleged.

"At one point, one suspect transferred money, which might have originated from the victims, to a relative. This led to suspicions of potential money laundering."

The five women, aged between 29 and 40, were arrested on suspicion of deception, conspiracy to defraud and money laundering.