Taipei police yesterday said they are investigating a couple over allegations of scalping pop star Jay Chou’s (周杰倫) concert tickets, as part of what they claim to be the nation’s largest scalping group.
Tickets to the pop star’s concerts in December sold out within five minutes on Wednesday for all four shows.
An investigation team was formed under the instruction of Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and Taipei Police Department Commissioner Li Hsi-ho (李西河) after receiving reports about scalpers selling tickets to the concerts, the department’s Criminal Investigation Division said in a news release.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
A man surnamed Liu (劉) and his wife allegedly used a large number of fake accounts and computer programs to buy tickets en masse and sell them on online social platforms, while promoting their business with messaging software and guaranteeing they had the tickets, police said.
It is estimated that nearly 100 people have already paid the suspects for tickets to Chou’s concerts, they said.
The couple was transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on suspicion of contravening the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries Act (文化創意產業發展法), forging instruments and fraud, they added.
Chou is holding concerts for his Carnival World Tour at the Taipei Dome from Dec. 5 to 8, the first time he is to perform in Taiwan in years.
A total of 890,583 users visited the site at once to purchase the 150,000 available tickets on Wednesday afternoon, JVR Music said.
The box office value of the tickets reached more than NT$657 million (US$20.5 million).
The Criminal Investigation Division warned that people who sell concert tickets at inflated prices might face fraud and forgery charges.
Vigilant enforcement action is being taken, it added.
The police urged the public not to fall victim to fraud, as criminals might sell tickets with fake serial numbers.
It would be best for consumers to buy tickets from official Web sites or sales platforms, it added.
Additional reporting by Chen Hui-ling and Kayleigh Madjar
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