A transport worker who was caught selling fake tickets to a concert by popular idol group Mirror for HK$10,000 was released on HK$3,000 bail on Wednesday and seen his case postponed to early July.
So Lok-lam, 20, was charged with obtaining property by deception and possessing false instruments. He appeared in West Kowloon Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning and did not yet need to enter a plea.
The charges accused him of obtaining HK$10,000 from the buyer surnamed Cho, 29, by selling her two fake concert tickets at the Cheung Sha Wan MTR station on Sunday; and knowingly possessing four other fake concert tickets without permission.
The case has been adjourned to July 6, pending further police investigation, including authenticity reviews with real tickets issued by the URBTIX box office.
The issue of scalping also caught the public eye after scalpers were found selling front row seats for up to HK$440,000. Tickets initially cost HK$1,280, HK$880 and HK$480.
Thomas Yuen Wai-kee, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics and Finance at Shue Yan University in Hong Kong, suggested adopting the “Dutch auction” method for ticket sales, which had previously been used by a another popular local YouTube channel “Trial & Error”. for their shows.
“Dutch auction” means that the auctioneer would start by asking for a higher price and would continue to lower the price after a certain period of time until the participants accept the price and make their bids.
Speaking on an RTHK show on Wednesday morning, Yuen called the concerts entertainment but not a necessity and noted that the government need not step in to regulate the issue of scalping.
He pointed out that requiring citizens to purchase a ticket based on a real name would significantly increase costs and said organizers should tackle the issue through marketing strategies.
Also Read: Man Detained for Ticket Scam in Mirror Mania
