CAPTION: BTS in the Seoul stop of their 'Permission to Dance on Stage' concert series. Photo from BTS' official Facebook page
MANILA — A 27-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly scamming BTS fans by selling highly sought-after tickets for the K-pop supergroup's concert, police said Wednesday.
The suspect, an IT professional, was arrested in an entrapment operation conducted by the Cyber Financial Crime Unit of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) at a mall in Manila after meeting one of the victims.
The operation stemmed from a complaint filed by one of the victims after discovering that the concert ticket she purchased had allegedly been sold to another buyer.
The victim found the ticket sale on X (formerly Twitter) on June 11, where a Bleachers 1 ticket was being offered for P14,200, inclusive of the ARMY fan club membership fee, according to the complaint. The original price of the Bleachers 1 ticket was P13,500.
The post claimed that the seller had two available Bleachers 1 tickets because they had already secured seats in another section of the concert venue.
The complainant paid a P10,000 down payment through an e-wallet transfer, with the remaining P4,200 scheduled to be paid during their meet-up on July 22, where they also planned to sign a contract.
However, on July 13, the suspect allegedly informed the complainant that there was a problem with the ticketing website, preventing her from accessing the account.
On July 17, however, the complainant received a message from another woman claiming that she had also purchased the same concert ticket bearing identical details. She later learned that the suspect had allegedly sold the same ticket to several other buyers.
“How did I find out na it was a scam? It was when she sent me a screenshot saying nawawala ‘yong tickets niya sa Ticketmaster account niya,” the complainant said.
“I consulted a GC na full of other fans na naghahanap din ng ticket,” she continued. “Someone sa GC na ‘yan saw my screenshots, sabi niya it’s familiar sa mga na-receive niyang screenshots also.”
Five more victims later filed similar complaints after discovering that they had purchased concert tickets with identical seat numbers from the suspect.
“Meron siyang hawak na legit na ticket at itong mga binibenta niya, ‘yong hawak niya ay magkakaparehas lang na binibenta niya,” said PNP-ACG director Maj. Gen. Wilson Asueta.
“As of now, na account na naming, meron na kaming 12 complainants,” he added.
The suspect was charged with violation of Article 315 (Swindling/Estafa) of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by Republic Act No. 10951, in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Since the amount allegedly defrauded from the complainant was P14,200, the prescribed penalty under the Revised Penal Code is arresto mayor in its medium and maximum periods.
However, because the offense was allegedly committed through information and communications technology (ICT), the penalty is increased by one degree under the Cybercrime Prevention Act, making the imposable penalty prisión correccional in its minimum period, or six months and one day to two years and four months of imprisonment.
“Ang kailangan, bumili lang sila sa authorized seller, doon lang po dapat bumili ng ticket para sa concert na ‘yan. Maging mapanuri sila, mag-veritfy nang maigi kung ang kausap nila ay totoo,” Asueta said.
BTS' agency earlier warned fans against fraudulent websites claiming to sell memberships to the K-pop supergroup's fan club and tickets to their world tour.
BTS is set to perform at the Philippine Sports Stadium in March 2027 for a three-day stop of its "Arirang" world tour.
READ: BTS adds 3rd show to PH stop of 'Arirang' tour
The upcoming shows will mark BTS' first full-group concert in the Philippines in a decade, following the group's "Wings" tour stop in 2017.
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