TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted a man surnamed Liu (劉) and a woman surnamed Chang (張) on Wednesday (Feb. 25), accusing them of using a computer program to purchase large quantities of concert tickets for South Korean singer G-Dragon (권지용, 權志龍). They allegedly resold the tickets at inflated prices to make a profit.
Since 2016, the couple has engaged full-time in scalping, reselling, and purchasing tickets for popular concerts and sports events. They organized an illegal ticket-buying syndicate, according to the indictment. Prosecutors stated that Liu collaborated with overseas engineers on May 25 and June 30 last year to bypass the real-name ticketing system using false names and foreign passport numbers.
Liu resold the G-Dragon concert tickets, adding between NT$9,000 (approximately US$280) and NT$65,000 (approximately US$2,000) per ticket. They acquired 157 tickets with a total face value of NT$1,030,220 (approximately US$32.8 thousand). Authorities conducted two searches in October and December last year, seizing 100 unsold G-Dragon concert tickets and 307 other concert and sports event tickets.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office charged the couple and two accomplices, surnamed Lin and Huang, with using false information or other improper means to buy tickets via computer equipment. They face charges under the Criminal Code for forgery and violations of the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Act.