![]() At that point, the tickets have already been issued for use, and the scammers have converted stolen credit card funds into balance in their digital WeChat wallets with no clear trace back to the stolen credit cards.Ĭhinese travelers, who have unknowingly been made an accessory to credit card fraud, remain unaware that the tickets they purchased at a discount were illicitly obtained. However, Australian tourism businesses targeted by the scam find themselves liable to refund these fraudulent ticket purchases to the bank as soon as the credit cards are flagged for fraudulent activities. The result is that travelers who buy the tickets, in fact, receive authentic online tickets for tourist attractions in Australia that they can use during their travels. Instead, the scam perpetrated against Chinese travelers and Australian tourism businesses involves stolen credit cards which are used by the sellers to acquire authentic tickets, which in turn are sold at a discount to WeChat users. In the case of the WeChat ticket scam, which is currently causing damage to Australian tourism businesses, the situation is even more convoluted than sellers simply selling fake tickets. On WeChat, verifying the authenticity of goods sold by individuals can be difficult as the platform doesn’t offer any customer review system or similar verification mechanisms seen on most online market platforms. However, such WeChat transactions have also given way for WeChat users who sell illegal goods, as well as lead to real-money gambling on the platform. Over Chinese New Year this year alone, WeChat users sent 46 billion “red envelopes”-digital envelopes filled with cash-to each other. However, it has also become a common platform for transactions between individuals, whether it’s for splitting a bar tab, or in exchange for products and services. With the introduction of mobile payments on WeChat, China’s most popular messaging platform quickly evolved into a commerce platform where companies have set up stores to sell products and services directly to WeChat’s hundreds of millions of active users. For one Australian tourism company quoted in the report, 13 percent of all online tickets sold in March were fraudulent. The scam leverages the popularity of pre-purchased tickets in the Chinese tourism market, stolen credit cards, and WeChat payments to sell tickets obtained with illicit funds. Spot a business opportunity or investment scam? Tell the FTC at to a report by ABC News Australia, a popular scam on Chinese messaging platform WeChat is causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs for tourist attractions in Australia. If you need help making investment decisions while avoiding fraud, visit.
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