Law

The scam of sealed box performances

2024-12-18   

On a day at the end of December 2023, Xiao Shu (pseudonym) posted on the Chao Hua community on Weibo that she wanted to purchase tickets for a certain theater troupe's 2023 sealed box performance, as "Chao Hua" sought help from "enthusiastic fans" who took the initiative to lend a helping hand. Shortly after, a netizen with the ID "Jiuhulu" sent a private message, claiming to be able to help her purchase tickets and introducing the price and seat distribution of sealed box performance tickets to Xiaoshu. He also revealed that he had close relationships with insiders of the theater troupe and even the actors themselves, and held exclusive ticket purchasing channels. Jiuhulu "stated that they are also fans of the theater troupe, and transactions between fans do not increase in price. All purchased tickets are at the original price. In order to dispel Xiaoshu's doubts, "Jiuhulu" also displayed screenshots and photos of WeChat chat records with theater actors. However, cautious Xiaoshu did not immediately place an order. A few days later, "Wine Gourd" reappeared, reminding Xiaoshu that the current ticket supply is tight, and if she doesn't rush to buy, she will miss the opportunity. As a loyal fan of the theater troupe, Xiaoshu struggled inwardly and ultimately couldn't resist her desire for the performance, deciding to trust "Wine Gourd". Xiaoshu transferred 3600 yuan to the account provided by the other party through mobile banking and purchased two sealed performance tickets. The transaction is completed, and "Jiuhulu" and Xiaoshu have agreed to deliver tickets on-site on the day of the performance on February 2, 2024. After purchasing tickets for the "unattainable" performance, Xiaoshu felt uneasy and kept contacting "Jiuhulu" to inquire if they could mail paper tickets. Jiuhulu promised to arrange for shipping as soon as possible, and soon after, he informed Xiaoshu that the express delivery had been sent out. However, Xiaoshu and others were unable to find any courier information. After multiple reminders, "Jiuhulu" sent a tracking number indicating that the "express package" is in transit. When Xiaoshu eagerly opened the "express delivery", she was surprised to find that she had received an expired performance ticket for July 2023. Faced with Xiaoshu's questioning, "Jiuhulu" argued that it was a misunderstanding and that he had sent the wrong ticket, but there was no follow-up on the subsequent mailing. Helpless, Xiaoshu could only agree with "Jiuhulu" to pick up tickets at the theater entrance on the day of the performance. At 17:00 on February 2, 2024, Xiaoshu arrived at the entrance of the theater, but "Jiuhulu" couldn't be reached no matter what. At this moment, Xiaoshu, who was rejected outside the theater, suddenly realized that she had fallen into a carefully designed scam. She was extremely anxious and immediately dialed the emergency number. The 'Empty Ticket' Trap: Fans are frequently scammed. After Xiaoshu purchased tickets, the 'Wine Gourd' repeated its old trick and continued to defraud fans of other theater troupes. In January 2024, Xiaojin (not his real name) accidentally saw the promotional video of a theater group's closed box performance released by Tiktok "Ticketing Expert" (nickname) while brushing Tiktok. As a fan of the theater troupe, Xiaojin immediately asked if there were any tickets for the first row. The ticketing expert said that he can get tickets for the second row, but it is still in the booking stage and there are no available tickets, so he can only choose a seat first. After Xiaojin selected the location, the "ticketing expert" demanded that he pay a ticket purchase fee of 2700 yuan. Xiaojin, who is worried, said that she can only pay a deposit of 2000 yuan first, and the final payment will be settled after receiving the ticket. After obtaining the consent of the "ticketing expert", Xiaojin transferred 2000 yuan to the account provided by the other party through mobile banking. The 'ticketing expert' promised to send out the tickets around January 18, 2024, but Xiaojin has never received the package. Regarding this, the "ticketing expert" explained that the official ticketing service has returned the ticket, but he will provide an electronic ticket as a substitute and sent Xiaojin a so-called electronic ticket QR code. However, Xiaojin still has doubts about this QR code. She has repeatedly requested the "ticketing expert" to provide paper tickets, but until the start of the sealed box performance, Xiaojin did not receive any tickets. Realizing that Xiao Jin had been deceived, she immediately reported the case to the police. Using the anxious buying mentality of "fans" to commit fraud against scalpers or scammers? Who are the people who issued tickets to Xiaoshu and Xiaojin? After investigation, on February 6, 2024, the public security organ will capture the suspect Fu. Originally, the so-called internal fans "Jiuhulu" and "Ticketing Expert" were both Fu Mouqiang. Since the end of 2023, Fu Mouqiang has been posting false information on social media platforms such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu, falsely claiming to have original priced tickets for a certain theater troupe's 2023 sealed box performance for sale, and even promising to bring fans backstage to interact with the actors. By forging chat records related to ticket delivery with couriers, displaying photos with theater actors, and mailing expired tickets, the trust of victims can be gained and time can be delayed. During the investigation and prosecution stage, the prosecutor and the deceived "fans" worked together to solve the case. The handling prosecutor carefully examined objective evidence and WeChat chat records, and found that there were other victims in this case. In order to fully investigate the criminal facts of Fu Mouqiang and recover the losses of the victims, the prosecutor began to supplement the investigation on their own. In the process of screening potential victims one by one, a victim named Mengmeng (a pseudonym) voluntarily proposed to the procuratorial organ that the deceived fans had been contacted through Xiaohongshu, Tiktok and other platforms, and had spontaneously set up a WeChat group, which could help the procuratorial organ convey the information of submitting relevant evidence materials to each victim. With the help of Mengmeng, the prosecutor in charge quickly sorted out the contact information and specific amount of money defrauded of all the victims. In the subsequent supplementary investigation stage, as the investigation deepens, the evidence chain gradually improves and the facts of the case become clearer. After examination and determination by the People's Procuratorate of Xicheng District, Beijing, between November 2023 and February 2024, Fu Mouqiang fabricated the fact that he had channels to purchase low-priced sealed performance tickets for a certain theater troupe with the purpose of illegal possession, and successively defrauded 13 victims of money, totaling RMB 35180. According to Fu Mouqiang's confession, he is indeed a fan of a certain theater troupe, and out of his desire for money, he had the idea of reselling tickets. At first, he made a lot of profit by reselling tickets at low prices and arranged for many fans to meet with his favorite theater actors. However, as greed continued to expand, he gradually lost himself. Despite knowing that the theater troupe's 2024 sealed box performance tickets had already been sold out, he still held onto his luck and deceived fans by falsely claiming that the package had been sent out, forging chat records with the courier, and mailing expired tickets to delay the delivery. After examination by the Xicheng District Procuratorate, this case has been prosecuted to the Xicheng District Court in accordance with the law. The Xicheng District Court sentenced Fu to nine months in prison and a fine of 9000 yuan for the crime of fraud. During the court hearing, Fu Mouqiang's father rushed to the scene and faced his son in the defendant's seat, tears welled up in his eyes. To make up for his son's mistake, Fu Mouqiang's father immediately refunded all illegal gains on his behalf. Watching his father's pain and disappointment, Fu Mouqiang's heart was filled with regret and self blame. In his final statement, he stated that his initial love and sincerity for the theater troupe became ugly and distorted due to greed, ultimately causing him to cross the red line of the law and pay a heavy price. Prosecutors remind that as the year-end approaches, various sealed box performances, concerts, and other performing arts activities are gradually issuing invoices. As consumers, we should strengthen our awareness of risk prevention and control when purchasing tickets, and choose official channels or reputable ticketing platforms to purchase performance tickets. At the same time, pay attention to protecting personal information and do not disclose personal identification information, passwords, and verification codes to unofficial personnel. If someone asks for money under the names of "purchasing tickets through internal channels", "issuing tickets for emergencies", "booking tickets", "helping to grab tickets", etc., be cautious and do not allow criminals to take advantage. In the process of purchasing tickets, if encountering abnormal situations such as "delayed delivery of physical tickets", "receipt of expired tickets", or "only providing electronic tickets and unable to verify authenticity", it is necessary to be vigilant and verify the situation in a timely manner, in a rational and safe manner, to ensure that our journey of pursuing love is not only passionate, but also full of peace of mind and joy. (New Society)

Edit:Rina Responsible editor:Lily

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