It was discovered that Mr. C, an online scalper, used a macro program he developed himself to secure tickets for performances by famous singers adn then resell them. The photo shows the police demonstrating Mr. C’s crime. Photo: Busan Police Agency
Online ticket scalpers are facing consequences after authorities cracked down on schemes that netted them hundreds of millions of won by illegally acquiring and reselling tickets to professional baseball games and concerts. investigators discovered thes scalpers amassed tickets through abnormal hoarding practices and by exploiting programs designed to bypass online reservation queues.
Scalpers Hoarded 18,000 Baseball Season Tickets
The Busan Police Agency’s cyber investigation unit announced on December 29th that three individuals, including a man in his 30s identified as Mr. A, were booked without detention on charges related to profiting from the large-scale resale of season tickets and advance tickets for five professional baseball teams. Authorities suspect the group illegally profited 730 million won by reselling 18,300 tickets purchased over 7,400 times between July 2022 and November of this year on a second-hand trading platform.
Police explained that season ticket holders receive priority access to popular seating, such as center infield spots, during regular season games. Advance reservation tickets are also highly sought after by baseball fans, allowing them to secure tickets before general public sales begin.
Panoramic view of Busan Police Agency. Photo: busan Police Agency
‘Direct Linking’ used to Bypass Queues
Mr. C, a man in his 20s, was also booked without detention for exploiting “direct links” to obtain 3,360 tickets for professional baseball games and concerts between October 2023 and August of this year, reselling them for 130 million won. This constitutes a violation of the Information and Communications Network Act.
When popular events go on sale, online reservation systems often create virtual queues with hundreds or thousands of users. Direct linking involves extracting a specific URL that bypasses this queue,granting immediate access to seat selection and payment. Police noted that while some programs generating these links are freely available online,they were exploited for large-scale ticket scalping operations,potentially overloading servers.
Mr. E, also in his 20s, was arrested for generating 8 million won in profits by reserving 55 tickets for performances by singer Rise from May to July of this year. He used a custom-built macro program capable of automatically selecting seats, repeatedly clicking, and identifying canceled tickets. Police charged Mr. E with obstruction of buisness and violations of public performance laws.
A police official stated that these cases involved diverse reservation methods, but ultimately resulted in tickets being resold at inflated prices on second-hand platforms, with sales meticulously recorded. To deter future offenses, authorities requested major second-hand trading platforms to restrict repetitive sales postings from single accounts, a request that was partially implemented.
