Hong Kong police on Sunday said they conducted an operation with their Shenzhen counterparts to bust a cross-border syndicate that forged and sold fake concert tickets, arresting 12 suspects.

Officers also seized more than 400 counterfeit and half-finished tickets with a market value of more than HK$100,000.

Speaking at a press conference, Superintendent Wan King-hang from Kowloon East crime unit said SAR officers arrested seven men and a woman aged between 19 and 65 on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, possessing a false instrument, obtaining property by deception and money laundering.

Meanwhile, police in Shenzhen made four arrests, including the mastermind of the crime who is a Hong Kong resident living on the mainland.

The force said the syndicate used a residential unit in Shenzhen as a factory to forge the fake tickets. They would then use social media to look for victims before delivering the tickets to Hong Kong.

Wan said the tickets they seized are very similar to the real ones but there are still some signs that gave them away, such as the positioning of punctuation marks.

He also said such crimes are likely related to the city’s mega-event economy.

“A concert held at the Kai Tak Sports Park involves the sale of nearly 50,000 tickets. We can imagine that if 50,000 tickets are to be sold in one day, it would be easier for scammers to sell these fake tickets,” Wan said.

“More people would believe the tickets are reserved tickets, creating an opportunity for scammers to make a profit.”

Wan urged people to purchase tickets through official channels, and called on those who bought tickets from unknown sources to contact the force immediately.