October 20, 2025 – Kaohsiung, Taiwan

The highly anticipated BLACKPINK concerts in Kaohsiung drew massive crowds and overwhelming fan enthusiasm — but also led to a series of ticket scalping disputes and online fraud cases involving tens of thousands of New Taiwan dollars.

Police reported that a 25-year-old Indonesian man surnamed Jia is facing prosecution for breach of trust after allegedly scamming fans who paid for concert tickets that never materialized. According to investigators, Jia had promoted on social media that he could help fellow Indonesians secure tickets for NT$2,800 each to the K-pop group’s two-night concert series.

However, chaos erupted the night before the second concert when dozens of fans discovered that Jia had failed to provide the tickets. The crowd surrounded him near the Kaohsiung World Games Main Stadium, verbally confronting and pulling at his clothes. Police officers from the Zuoying Precinct arrived at the scene and intervened to prevent further escalation.

Authorities said approximately 30 victims, mostly Indonesians and a few Filipinos, paid Jia for about 50 tickets, totaling nearly NT$140,000. Jia reportedly told police he had successfully purchased some tickets for the October 19 show but not for the October 18 performance. He offered to refund the buyers or transfer them to the next day’s concert, but the group rejected the proposal, leading to a police report being filed.

The BLACKPINK concerts, with ticket prices ranging from NT$1,800 to NT$8,800, sold out within seconds when they were released in June. The overwhelming demand led to at least three separate fraud cases related to scalped or fake tickets, according to Kaohsiung police.

In another case, a woman surnamed Wu from Pingtung County paid NT$7,600 for two tickets she purchased online, only to be scammed after the seller failed to appear at the agreed meeting place in Ligang Park. Similarly, a man surnamed Zhang from Taoyuan lost NT$20,000 after buying two fake tickets via Facebook, hoping to attend the show with his wife.

Meanwhile, BLACKPINK’s visit also captured attention beyond the concerts. A video showing ROSÉ enjoying local pineapple cakes and 50 Lan bubble tea went viral among fans. However, Kaohsiung police reminded the public to beware of online scams impersonating popular local bakeries, advising consumers to purchase from official stores or verified websites.

Authorities continue to investigate the ticket-related frauds and urge the public to avoid purchasing tickets from unofficial sources to prevent falling victim to scams.