BANGKOK — 11 June 2026, A group of victims of an alleged concert ticket booking service scam involving the K-pop group BTS on the X platform has submitted a formal complaint to Thailand’s House Consumer Protection Committee, saying there are at least 120 verified victims, with initial financial damages estimated more than 1.23 million baht after transferring ticket costs and service fees upfront to an online ticket-booking service that later deleted their accounts and disappeared.
At 10:00 on Thursday, at the Thai Parliament, Kanphong Prayoonsak, an MP from the People’s Party, along with his team, received a complaint from Rin, a representative of the victims. The case involves a fraudulent scheme where victims were deceived into hiring a ticket-booking service for the BTS concert through an X account operating under the username “sumsum”.
Rin revealed that she had hired a ticket-purchasing service operating the X platform. Before deciding to use the service, she had inquired thoroughly about the booking details. The account required an upfront transfer covering deposits, service fees and part of the ticket cost in advance. She then completed all requested transfers by the shop on Sunday.
However, on the day when tickets went on sale, the shop closes its X account and became no longer be contacted. After realising she had been scammed, she began posting on X to search for other victims. This led them to establish a Line Open Chat group to verify information and gather evidence, through which they discovered a large number of fellow victims.
Data collected through a registration form identified at least 120 victims linked to the same recipient bank account, with preliminary losses exceeding 1.23 million baht. The total is expected to rise as additional victims continue to submit additional documents and evidence.
Through their own investigation of the evidence and financial tracking, the victims discovered that the funds had allegedly been transferred through multiple intermediary accounts. Meanwhile, victims have been progressively filing police reports both online reporting system and at local police stations.
They hope this case serves as a stern warning to consumers regarding the risks of using third-party ticket-booking services. By speaking to the media, the group is not intended only looking to pursue legal action but also aims to raise awareness and caution the public against falling victim to online ticket-booking scams in the future.
Kanphong, also known as Ajarn Ait, who also serves as deputy chairman of the House Consumer Protection Committee, said scams of this nature stemmed from what he called as three dilemmas: attempting to secure tickets independently in a highly competitive system which is becoming difficult, relying on third parties to make purchases which introduces fraud risks, and ultimately suffering financial losses and disappointment from missing out on the concert entirely.
He said the he would bring this issue to the consideration of the Consumer Protection Committee and propose three solution measures to be pushed forward for committee attention:
• Limiting the number of tickets each person can purchase to reduce bulk buying and the use of automated bots;
• Requiring clear buyer identification through Digital ID or know-your-customer (KYC) identity verification systems;
• Managing ticket-purchasing bot programs and system loopholes that enable unfair access to the ticket booking process.
“We must make it easier and safer for consumers to buy tickets while reducing channels for fraudsters,” Kanphong said.
Furthermore, he pointed out that similar issues affect not only concert tickets but also airline tickets, train tickets, and other reservation systems where consumer fairness must be protected as well.
Karunphon Thiansuwan, a People’s Party list-MP representing the parliamentary committee on communications, telecommunications and the digital economy, stated that the concert ticket problems extend beyond online scams to include difficult booking processes, inflated resale prices and “ghost tickets” arising from opaque systems.
Consequently, the House Committee planned discussions with various ticketing providers on introducing a buyer identity verification system measure. They may also look into the number of tickets allowed per person limits and implement safeguards against automated software used for bulk ticket buying.
However, Karunphon admitted that any measures introduced must also take account of international visitors and overseas fans. Many international concerts often depend on foreign attendees, and overly restrictive rules could encourage organisers to relocate their events to other countries such as Singapore or Malaysia.
Regarding this concert ticket-booking scam, the group of victims has already reported the case through Thailand’s online crime reporting centre and are working with relevant authorities to trace the movement of funds. They expressed hope that the suspects could be apprehended and losses recovered in the future.
It is highly possible that the victims in this case may have a stronger chance of recovering their money because investigators have access to recipient account details and can track the transaction trails. This stands in contrast to call-centre scams or fraudulent investment schemes, where funds are frequently transferred overseas or converted into digital assets.
Nevertheless, the critical next steps still rely on the police investigation to track down those responsible and expand inquiries into any network of mule accounts linked to the transactions.
Writing and reporting by Sasinuch Keeratisuntorn