[Exclusive] 'Muhan Gyejwa' Ticket Scam Losses Reach 1 Billion KRW... "Even Veteran Fans Were Deceived"

SNS Posts Encouraging Transfer, Deposit into Daepo Accounts
Easy Sign-Up and Cancellation of Internet Banks 'Exploited'
Helpless Against Fraudulent Transaction Account Inquiries

The police have launched an investigation into a group that swindled over 1 billion won from people trying to purchase tickets for performances by famous singers and pianists.

On the 23rd, the Seoul Gwanak Police Station announced that a complaint was filed on the 5th against 21 individuals, including Mr. A, on charges of fraud, and they are currently investigating. According to the police, since around January this year, the suspects set up offices in the Philippines and Korea to conspire in the crime. They stole personal information through part-time job advertisements and illegal loan ads or paid a fee to borrow names to open so-called "ghost accounts."

Messenger conversation between victim Yoo Mo (24) and the seller regarding ticket transfer fraud through 'Infinite Account'.

After the ticket sales for performances ended, they posted ticket transfer ads on social networking services (SNS) and demanded deposits into ghost accounts from prospective buyers. The victims’ losses ranged from as little as 100,000 won to as much as 6 million won. The confirmed amount lost by the complainants currently stands at 31,574,500 won, and when combined with other victims’ amounts, it is estimated to exceed 1 billion won.

In particular, they exploited the so-called "infinite account" method, taking advantage of the ease of opening and closing accounts at internet banks. They used new accounts for each crime, leaving victims no way to verify whether the accounts were used for fraudulent transactions. Typically, veteran fans always check ticket transaction accounts on fraud verification sites, but this time they were helplessly deceived.

Ms. Lee Yerim (24), who usually enjoys listening to J-POP, failed to purchase concert tickets on March 12 for her favorite Japanese singer’s visit to Korea. Due to urgent circumstances preventing her from attending, she contacted a ticket transferor she found on SNS. She checked the seller’s account on "The Cheat," a fraud information sharing site, confirmed it was a legitimate account, and deposited 160,000 won.

However, the seller claimed the next day that there was a settlement error with the client and asked her to send 162,000 won to complete the deposit. Even after Lee sent the additional money, the seller did not send the ticket, citing continued errors. When Lee searched the account on The Cheat, she found five fraud cases linked to it. She immediately demanded a refund from the seller, but was told she had to deposit 1 million won to get a refund, and the money was not returned.

Lee lamented, "The concert date was approaching, but I couldn’t get the ticket, so I became anxious. Until then, I had never been scammed in ticket transfers, and it was written that if the transfer failed, a refund would be guaranteed, so I felt safe deciding to proceed."

Other victims were scammed using the same method. Mr. Yoo (24) became a victim while trying to obtain tickets for the Japanese band "King Gnu"’s visit to Korea. The seller reassured him by sending screenshots of the ticket sale transaction, so he did not suspect anything. Yoo expressed frustration, saying, "The seller’s SNS account showed a long history of transactions, and there were many posts and followers, so I trusted them."

Mr. Kim (34) contacted a ticket transferor via SNS on February 6 to get tickets for pianist Lim Yoonchan’s concert. However, after confirming the deposit of 280,000 won, the seller disappeared. Kim tearfully said, "I was deeply disappointed to miss the tickets I desperately wanted, making it hard to think rationally."

Attorney Kim Songyi, representing the victims, pointed out, "Every ticket reservation day, 200 to 300 victims fall prey to scams using so-called infinite accounts. The estimated number of victims so far is at least 5,000, with total damages exceeding 1 billion won."

She added, "Because ticket transfer scammers use ghost accounts, deposit details cannot be immediately verified. If a seller asks you to 'capture and send the deposit details,' it is likely not a legitimate transaction. We recommend obtaining tickets from certified agencies, but if personal transactions are necessary, check the transfer regulations prepared for each performance and ensure the transaction follows those procedures."