K-POP Ticket Scam Ring Uncovered…7.1 Billion Won in Illegal Profits, 16 Arrested

The Gyeonggi North Police Agency has uncovered a ring that used macro programs to purchase large quantities of idol concert tickets and resell them at high prices, securing approximately 7.1 billion won in illegal profits. On the 11th, the police announced they had arrested 16 ticket scalpers on charges of business disruption and violation of the Performance Act, among whom three individuals—including the mastermind seller A, 28—were detained and submitted for prosecution.

The ring seized popular idol concert tickets in bulk using macro programs from October 2022 until recently and then sold them. Tickets originally priced at around 200,000 won were sometimes traded for as much as 5 million won, which is up to 25 times the original price. In one case, a single person obtained as many as 126 tickets for one concert.

The detainees A, B, 31, and C were found to have played key roles in the crime—A as the mastermind seller, B as the program development lead, and C as the management coordinator—responsible for developing macros, booking tickets, and overseeing the sales network. They operated primarily through a private social media group they created, which had 1,309 members. Through this group, information such as ticket reservation platform security policies, methods for developing macro programs, current scam prices, concert details, and police enforcement activities was shared.

The ring recruited accomplices via the group, found middlemen and ticket pick-up agents, and purchased ticket reservation accounts and fan club accounts needed for online bookings to carry out their crimes. The macro programs used allowed them to pre-select seats before ticket reservations opened, immediately proceeding to the payment stage or shortening the waiting order.

The ring also created “fake apps” similar to the Government 24 app to forge mobile IDs, enabling them to collect tickets at concert venues without raising suspicion. The tickets obtained through macros were then sold on ticket trading platforms and social media to individual scalpers or foreign ticket dealers at inflated prices.

Starting in August of last year, the police launched a crackdown on ticket scam crimes using macros. After arresting lower-level sellers at concert venues, they expanded their investigation and subsequently captured intermediate distributors and the masterminds. Currently, the development lead D, who has fled abroad, is being tracked through Interpol’s red notice system, and the police plan to continue investigating additional scalpers and overseas ticket trafficking rings.