Police warned that scammers have been taking advantage of people hunting for last-minute concert tickets online.

According to the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, concert tickets have emerged as the single biggest lure in online shopping fraud, accounting for more than 30 percent of all such cases in the first five months of this year.

That's despite a 28 percent drop in the total number of online shopping scams.

"In most of the cases, the scam method is quite straightforward: the scammers claim to be selling popular goods on various online platforms – for example, concert tickets and theme park tickets," Senior Inspector Cheung Chin-hung told a press briefing on Monday.

"When victims show interest and express a wish to buy, the scammers ask them to pay in advance via online banking or some stored-value payment tools.

"After receiving the money, the scammers immediately lose contact and fail to honour the transaction, disappearing without a trace.

"Today's society is increasingly digital, online shopping is becoming more convenient, and concerts are also one of the main recreational activities for young people.

"When faced with limited-edition tickets, buyers may act hastily in the rush to purchase, often neglecting to verify the seller's background and the transaction channel. Scammers precisely exploit these factors to carry out their fraud."

With a slew of local and international acts slated to perform in Hong Kong in the second half of the year, Cheung called on concert organisers to do more.

"I would particularly urge all event organisers and artists to remind fans more frequently through social media to be cautious about online shopping fraud," he said.

After concert tickets, electronic products, along with baby products and toys, accounted for the highest number of scams.

Police also said in a city-wide operation targeting online shopping fraud this month, 78 people were arrested on suspicion of obtaining property by deception and money laundering.

Officers said they were involved with 165 scams, amounting to roughly HK$5 million in losses.



Edited by Edmond Fong