There are few things more sought-after in Hong Kong now than tickets to popular boy band Mirror’s concert in July and August, so much so that unscrupulous touts are jacking up prices to more than HK$430,000 (US$54,780) for a single ticket.
While it is a crime to resell tickets for such astronomical prices, a mere fine of HK$2,000 (US$255) means many scalpers are willing to take the risk to make a quick profit.
Crazy demand has of course created a market for scammers as well. Police arrested a man on Sunday on suspicion of selling two fake concert tickets to the Canto-pop sensation’s show for HK$10,000 (US$1,274).
Mirror recently announced they will be holding 10 shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum, with tickets priced at HK$480 (US$61), HK$880 (US$112) and HK$1,280 (US$163). Organizers have yet to announce details of public sales, but there was priority booking for Citi The Club credit cardholders on April 29, with tickets sold out in less than an hour.
On Tuesday, tickets to the July 30 show could be found selling at HK$438,102 (US$55,811) for a single ticket on reseller platform Viagogo.
Coconuts is unable to verify the authenticity of the tickets, but the seller claims that they are for first-row seats with unrestricted views.
The boy band, formed through ViuTV singing competition King Maker in 2018, has become immensely popular in Hong Kong in recent years, prompting scalpers to seize the opportunity for a quick profit as well as numerous ticket scammers eager to take advantage of fans’ desperation to see their idols live.
Mirror and their manager Ahfa Wong have, on various occasions, urged fans not to buy tickets from touts, who are often selling them at exorbitant prices, and to only use official channels.
On Sunday, a 20-year-old man was arrested after allegedly conning a 29-year-old woman to buy two fake tickets to Mirror’s concert for HK$10,000 (US$1,274).
The woman found the seller on social media and met him at Cheung Sha Wan MTR station for the transaction.
After realizing the tickets were fake, the woman went after the seller and managed to wrest back HK$9,500 (US$1,210).
Police arrived at the scene later. They found four other fake tickets in his possession and arrested him for obtaining property by deception and possessing false instruments.
