‘It’s daylight robbery’: Blackpink scalpers push price of K-pop concert tickets through roof in Hong Kong, Malaysia and region-wide
- Ticket nightmare for Hong Kong mother who promised tearful nine-year-old daughter and friends a night out to remember
- Police receive flood of complaints about scammers, some seeking 22 times face value of original K-pop concert ticket
Raisha Hemrajani loves South Korean girl band Blackpink so much that her ninth birthday party in August was themed around the band.
“That’s how crazy she is about them,” said her mother, Manisha Hemrajani.
So when the four-member K-pop sensation announced three concerts in Hong Kong – January 13-15 at AsiaWorld-Expo – as part of their “Born Pink” world tour, Manisha knew she had to get tickets.
“I promised all nine girls at the birthday party that I could get them,” she said of the tickets that, in Hong Kong, were priced from HK$799 to HK$2,999 (US$384), for a VIP package. She needed 14 because some other mums planned to join.
Then her nightmare began. First, she tried a South Korean-operated fan app that was supposed to give her priority access. It didn’t. Attempts to buy tickets via the official Live Nation Entertainment and Cityline platforms also failed.
