334 Taylor Swift fans lose over $213,000 to fake concert tickets scams

At least 334 fans saw red after they were scammed out of more than $213,000 in January and February when trying to score concert tickets to see Taylor Swift in Singapore.

It's Taylor Swift week here and the police remind members of the public to be discerning online shoppers, especially when seeking to buy such tickets from third-party resellers.

In these concert ticket scams, victims would come across listings for sale through online platforms such as Telegram, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and Xiaohongshu.

Scammers would then redirect the interested victims to messaging platforms like WhatsApp and WeChat for further interactions.

The victims would be instructed to make payments for the tickets via PayNow, bank transfers or virtual credits, including iTunes cards.

Victims realised they had been scammed when the scammers failed to deliver the tickets or became uncontactable.

Victims who received their tickets would realise they had been scammed when their tickets were found to be invalid at concert venues or when the scammers refused to provide physical tickets or any proof of authenticity.

With Carousell suspending the sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets on its platform, the police want the public to be aware that scammers may pivot to other platforms, in particular, Telegram.

Members of the public should adopt the following precautionary measures:

1. ADD - ScamShield App to protect yourself from scam calls and SMSes and set up security features like transaction limits and multifactor authentication for banks and e-wallets.

2. CHECK - For scam signs and with official sources like www.scamalert.sg or the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Do not purchase tickets from third-party resellers, purchase only from authorised sellers and legitimate ticket marketplaces/resellers such as Ticketmaster. Such sites offer verification of tickets and guaranteed refunds if victims receive invalid tickets. Always make payment only after receiving tickets.

3. TELL - Authorities, family and friends about scams. Report fraudulent listings to social media sites.

If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent police assistance, dial '999'.