You know, when something seems like it’s too good to be true, it usually/probably is. But unfortunately for the victims who fell prey to the Universal Studios Singapore Halloween Horror Nights online ticket scam, they only realized their folly when it was too late.
According to an advisory by the Singapore Police Force on Saturday, there have been at least 35 reports of these online purchase scams — most of which were advertised on Facebook and Carousell — between Aug 30 and Sept 29. Victims lost a total of more than S$21,500 (US$15,762), and the amounts ranged from S$45 (US$32) to S$7,000 (US$5,132) in each case.
Although this isn’t a new development, it is an increase in the number of online purchase scams involving the USS Halloween tickets from last year, where about 30 cases were reported.
Apparently, the culprits operated by asking their victims for advanced payments to be transferred to a local bank account. But they would either flake out on the delivery of the items purchased or become uncontactable after the money changed hands. The police also said that there have been cases of culprits giving victims fake tickets.
So to make sure that you aren’t being cheated — even though an online promo may sound cheaper than the real deal — purchase tickets only from authorized sellers, use shopping platforms that will only release your payment when you receive your item, or arrange for a face-to-face meet-up with the seller to verify the authenticity of the ticket before making payment.
A spokesman for Resorts World Sentosa told The Straits Times, “we strongly advise our guests to purchase tickets to USS’ Halloween Horror Nights 7 through our official website, or at our on-site ticketing booths.”
