AI ticket-scalping ring arrested in Taiwan
Concert ticket operator Chen Qingyi was arrested after allegedly hiring engineers to develop AI software to automatically purchase tickets for popular concerts and resell them at highly inflated prices, generating illegal profits estimated at tens of millions of Taiwan dollars. Police in Taiwan seized approximately 1,000 concert tickets and other evidence in the operation.
What happened
Qiangni Entertainment, a concert ticket business operated by Chen Qingyi, employed engineers to develop and use AI programs to automatically purchase large quantities of concert tickets, then sold them at inflated prices through downstream resellers to consumers.
Concert tickets targeted included performances by BLACKPINK, BIGBANG, BABYMONSTER, BTS, Super Junior, GD, Cai Yilin, Mayday, and Deng Ziqi, with markups ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of Taiwan dollars per ticket, at maximum up to 10 times the original price depending on artist popularity.
In 2023, during a BLACKPINK concert in Kaohsiung, Chen sold 1,700 tickets and earned approximately tens of millions of Taiwan dollars in illegal profits.
Reported impact
The operation caused market disruption to concert ticket sales and harmed consumers who paid inflated prices through the scalping network.
Index analysis
The AI system was deployed intentionally to automate ticket purchases that violated purchase order policies and fair market conditions.
Governance controls
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office directed the Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct searches on July 2, 2026, arresting Chen Qingyi and seizing approximately 1,000 concert tickets and related materials.
Chen was detained without bail pending investigation under violations of cultural and creative industry regulations.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.