Disappearing After Taking Money for Ticket Transfers
Police Investigation Underway... "Use Official Sales Channels"
As the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is underway, ticket scams are on the rise, prompting calls for caution among moviegoers.
On the 16th, the day before the opening of the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), officials were preparing the opening ceremony venue at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan. Photo by Yonhap News
On September 22, the official BIFF Open Chat on Naver saw a series of posts from people claiming they had been scammed after transferring money to individuals who promised to transfer sold-out movie tickets.
One victim wrote in the chat, "For popular or sold-out movies, scammers claim they can urgently transfer tickets 30 minutes to an hour before the screening, ask for your KakaoTalk ID, and insist on upfront payment. When you request seat verification, they try to convince you to trust them and still demand payment in advance. Be careful." Another victim reported losing 100,000 won in a scam while attempting to buy an opening ceremony ticket.
As reports of scams continued, some online users urged caution, saying, "There are scammers out there, so be careful." Another user commented, "These scams have been rampant since the start of the Busan International Film Festival. When trading tickets, it is safest to receive a physical ticket before sending money."
One user, acting on behalf of a victim, publicly disclosed the suspected scammer's nickname and bank account information, warning others not to fall for the scam and emphasizing, "Victims need to file reports to have the account suspended."
These scams exploit the ticketing system, which does not require identity verification upon entry to the screening venues. As long as someone knows your reservation site ID and password, they can enter with an online ticket.
Through its ticket reservation and issuance process, BIFF has issued a notice stating, "The festival is not responsible for any disadvantages or problems arising from illegal transactions (such as premium ticket sales or ticket transfer scams) or personal ticket transfers. Please make sure to purchase tickets only through the official reservation channels."
The police are currently investigating BIFF ticket scam cases. According to the Haeundae Police Station in Busan on September 22, victim A reported that after seeing a post in a public chatroom on a portal site offering tickets to popular BIFF screenings, they contacted the seller and transferred extra money, only for the seller to disappear without delivering the tickets.
The police stated that they are investigating by verifying the account holder's identity and emphasized that to prevent such scams, people should use official ticket sellers and, if conducting personal transactions, meet in person for safety.
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