Blackpink fans scammed: Thai woman arrested for selling fake concert tickets
Police arrested an unscrupulous Thai woman for selling fake concert tickets to see the popular K-Pop girl group Blackpink. The victims suffered financial losses exceeding 700,000 baht.
During the Blackpink World Tour Bangkok Encore last weekend, police discovered that many attendees arrived at the event holding identical e-tickets, all of which had been purchased under the name of 26 year old Nattarika “Disco” Yangsuay.
Officers initiated an investigation and successfully located and arrested Disco in the Lat Prao district of Bangkok today.
Disco confessed that she earned the money from booking concert tickets for customers. She claimed that she booked 200 tickets for the Blackpink concert for resale. She purchased them at 9,600 baht per ticket and resold them between 15,000 to 30,000 baht per ticket.
Disco told police that the initial batch of 200 tickets sold out rapidly, but she continued to receive requests from interested buyers. The unscrupulous ticket tout decided to fulfil these orders by repeatedly distributing e-ticket copies of the same tickets to her customers.
The Commander of the Investigation Department of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Teeradate Thammasutee, reported that the police were not convinced by Disco’s confession even if she narrated the story in tears. Teeradate revealed that Disco was also addicted to online gambling, which had led her into significant debt.
Moreover, Disco’s criminal history featured another nine fraud cases in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and Saraburi provinces. The charges were issued from April of last year to March of this year.
Teeradate emphasized that this case went beyond just the fraud, as it affected the emotions of Blackpink fans who have limited opportunities to see their beloved band. Teeradate said…
“This uncle (Teeradate) cannot bring the Blackpink concert back to all the young fans, but this uncle will prosecute the culprit who hurt all of your feelings.”
The police also encouraged other victims to come forward and report any similar incidents, stressing that they are committed to resolving issues affecting the general public’s wellbeing.
