Marquee ticket scam: 18-year-old charged for cheating victim of $1,020 with bogus tickets

An 18-year-old man who duped a victim into paying $1,020 for bogus tickets to Marquee Singapore nightclub was charged in court with one count of cheating on Friday (Aug 12).

Alden Christopher Tan Choon Siang is said to have cheated the victim into believing that he had genuine tickets to the nightclub and received $1,020 as advance payment from her on July 29, court documents stated.

Tan is believed to be linked to more than 30 counts of e-commerce scams involving some $8,500, said the police in a statement on Thursday.

He was offered bail of $15,000 and will return to court next month as investigations are being carried out.

The police said that they received information about a scam involving the sale of bogus tickets to the nightclub on Telegram.

Posts were made on a Telegram group chat known as “SG Clubbing”, which advertised the sale of Marquee Singapore tickets for various events that were sold out on the club’s official website, said the police.

A screenshot of Tan’s Telegram posts showed that he advertised tickets to the nightclub at around market rate, but told potential buyers that they would not need to queue for entry.

Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established his identity and arrested Tan on Wednesday.

Members of the public are urged to be careful when making online purchases, especially if the price is too good to be true, said the police.

Shoppers should buy from only authorised sellers or reputable sources and avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the sellers.

When purchasing tickets online, use payment options that protect buyers by releasing payment to the seller only upon delivery, said the police.

For each count of cheating, Tan faces up to 10 years in jail and a fine.