Football fans in China are being warned about scams surrounding Lionel Messi’s visit to Beijing for a friendly match against Australia.
The Argentine football legend’s presence has drawn scammers and ticket-scalpers desperate to capitalise on Messi mania.
Beijing police have issued warnings against falling for widely circulated advertisements that promise an evening in Messi’s company for 300,000 yuan ($42,000).
Other dubious offers posted online include “internal” stadium passes for 5,000 yuan and a “tailored VIP package” including an autographed jersey, front-row seats and a photo with Messi for over 8,000 yuan.
For 50 million yuan, another unauthorised advertisement claims that Messi will appear on your shopping livestream to extol the virtues of your product.
Despite anti-scalping measures including an ID requirement for entering the stadium, dozens of merchants on the Taobao online shopping platform are offering to resell tickets for as much as 18,000 yuan.
Chinese fans have been desperate to get close to their hero Messi, with tickets for the game ranging from 580 to 4,800 yuan quickly selling out.
Hundreds of people waited outside the Argentina team hotel in central Beijing on Saturday hoping to catch a glimpse of Messi after failing to secure match tickets.
Messi landed in Beijing on Saturday and will lead the world champions against the Socceroos at Beijing’s newly renovated Workers’ Stadium.
It is a rematch of the round-of-16 clash at last winter’s World Cup where Argentina won 2-1 and went on to lift the trophy.
The football superstar will also play another friendly match when Argentina take on Indonesia in Jakarta on June 19.
The excitement surrounding Messi’s visit has led some individuals to try and profit from his popularity through fraudulent means.
Fans are advised not to fall prey to these scams but instead enjoy watching their hero play live or support him from afar.
