Monies Lost to Concert Ticket Scams

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how much money has been lost to concert ticket scams in each year over the past five years, excluding the period during the COVID-19 pandemic when local concerts were suspended; (b) whether there has been a spike in monies lost to concert ticket scams arising from the upcoming concerts by popular international artistes; and (c) how does the Ministry intend to educate the public and prevent such scams from occurring.

The amount of money lost due to concert ticket scams was about $84,000 in 2018; $66,000 in 2019; $9,000 in 2020; $3,000 in 2021; and $175,000 in 2022. Between 1 January and 10 July this year, losses from concert ticket scams amounted to more than $518,000.

With regard to the measures to educate the public and prevent the occurrence of concert ticket scams, the Member may refer to my reply to Question No 6 for Written Answer on the Order Paper for 2 August 2023. [Please refer to "Measures to Pre-empt Rise in Concert Ticket Scams on E-commerce Platforms", Official Report, 2 August 2023, Vol 95, Issue 109, Written Answers to Questions section.]