SINGAPORE, Feb 6 — A 30-year-old woman has been sentenced to three years in a Singapore jail for scamming 76 victims into paying for Taylor Swift concert tickets she never had.
Channel News Asia (CNA) reported that Foo Mei Qi defrauded over S$110,000 (RM360,000) from the victims, but none received the tickets they had paid for.
Foo pleaded guilty today to cheating between June 2023 and February 2024.
Her scheme involved listing non-existent tickets on Carousell for Swift’s Eras Tour concerts that took place in Singapore from March 2 to 4 and 7 to 9, 2024.
After receiving payment, Foo ceased all contact with the victims. Despite claiming to have tickets, she only had 12, which were either already sold or promised to other buyers.
This was not Foo’s first offence. She was convicted in March 2022 for a similar scam targeting concertgoers and was sentenced to 17 months in prison. However, she reoffended shortly after her release, prompting the judge at the time to remark that her previous sentence had failed to rehabilitate her.
The court also heard that Foo had sold fake Bruno Mars tickets to three other victims, who were unable to enter the concert venue when they arrived. In addition, two similar charges involving more than S$8,800 were taken into account.
Foo admitted to using the stolen money to cover personal expenses, including meals, medical bills, and family costs. She was arrested on March 11, 2024, after multiple victims filed police reports.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Yohanes Ng sought a three-year sentence, pointing out that the scale of the crime had escalated significantly since Foo’s previous conviction.
Foo’s lawyer, V. Devaraj, requested a shorter sentence, arguing that she had voluntarily surrendered to the police. However, Ng refuted this claim, noting that Foo only turned herself in after victims had filed reports against her.
District Judge Paul Chan acknowledged the severity of the crime, emphasising Foo’s premeditated actions and increasing criminal appetite. He also highlighted the large number of victims involved, justifying the strict sentence.
