Five Arrested in BTS Concert Ticket Scam Costing 1.8M Baht
Police arrested five suspects in Bangkok and Surat Thani for running a BTS concert ticket scam that defrauded 105 fans of 1.8 million baht through fake social media booking pages. The ringleader confessed to pocketing 800,000 baht, which wa
Bangkok — 11 July 2026, Thai police have busted an alleged BTS concert ticket scam ring, arresting five suspects accused of defrauding 105 BTS fans of about 1.8 million baht through fake concert ticket sales. The alleged creator of the fake pages confessed to pocketing 800,000 baht, which was spent on luxury goods and overseas travel.
Authorities launched Operation "Smash the Scam: Busting the BTS Ticket Fraud Ring", arresting five suspects: • Temjai (surname withheld), 21 • Pimchanok (surname withheld), 19 • "A" (pseudonym), 18 • Pathanin (surname withheld), 20 • Cherlilinn (surname withheld), 27
All five suspects, aged between 18 and 27, were arrested under warrants No. J.1131–1135/2026 issued by the Min Buri Criminal Court on 10 July. They were apprehended in Bangkok and Surat Thani province.
They face charges including public fraud, jointly entering false information into a computer system in a manner likely to cause damage to the public, and opening or allowing others to use their bank accounts or electronic payment cards for criminal activities.
The case began after numerous fans reported falling victim to scammers following the announcement of the world-renowned Korean group BTS's concert tour in Thailand. With overwhelming demand for tickets, many fans turned to third-party booking agents to secure seats, where fraudsters allegedly created fake social media accounts claiming to offer ticket-booking services at attractive prices.
A total of 105 victims later filed complaints with the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD), each losing an average of around 17,700 baht, with total damages exceeding 1.8 million baht.
Following an investigation, authorities found that the scams were allegedly orchestrated by the same network. Investigators gathered sufficient evidence to obtain court warrants before launching the operation, which resulted in the arrests of all five suspects.
During questioning, some suspects claimed they had been recruited through online job-seeking groups to receive and transfer money via TrueMoney e-Gift vouchers. They said they believed they were processing payments for pre-order purchases and earned between 200 and 2,000 baht per transaction. They added that they only later realised the money originated from the alleged ticket scam.
Another suspect allegedly confessed to creating the fake social media pages and X accounts used to target victims. Police said the suspect admitted receiving around 800,000 baht from victims before spending all of it on personal expenses, including overseas travel and luxury goods such as designer handbags.
All five suspects have been handed over to investigators from the Consumer Protection Police Division for further legal proceedings.
