SCMP Reports China's Disneyland Ticket Fraud Scheme

Owners of the Magic Access pass, which allows its holders to visit Disneyland all year round, have begun renting it out to other people amid the lifting of coronavirus restrictions in China, writes the South China Morning Post.

The situation began to be actively discussed after a clip appeared on Douyin (the version of the TikTok social network for mainland China ) where a man told how he visited Disneyland in Hong Kong, renting a pass for a small fee.

After that, Hong Kong Disneyland released a statement. Anyone not enrolled in the Magic Access program as a member cannot use the benefits of the pass, nor can the ticket be used for commercial purposes, the park said.

Hong Kong Disneyland will take such abuse very seriously and will contact law enforcement if there is any suspicion of fraud or illegal activity.

Magic Access tickets are divided into three categories - Platinum, Gold and Silver. Their cost for children ranges from 998 to 3078 Hong Kong dollars ($127-392), the price for adults will be 1348-4278 Hong Kong dollars ($171-545) depending on the fare. The park has special offers for students and seniors over 65.

The ticket allows you to visit Disneyland all year round, receive a discount on services in hotels and restaurants, use free parking and other privileges.

The South China Morning Post discovered offers for Magic Access tickets to Hong Kong Disneyland on the local online retail platform Carousell. Ticket holders offered to rent a "silver" or "gold" pass for an average of 100 Hong Kong dollars per day (about $13) with a refundable deposit of 500 Hong Kong dollars (just under $64).

The sellers, who were interviewed by the newspaper under the guise of potential buyers, said that the administration of the park as a whole takes a formal approach to verifying the identity of visitors, so anyone with a ticket can enter the park. At the same time, they specified that the gender and name of the cardholder must match the data of the person who bought it. Some of them made additional demands on the appearance, hairstyle and age of the buyer.

The Hong Kong Disneyland website says that visitors are photographed at the entrance to the park, and at any time they may be required to verify their identity. Tickets "are not transferable, exchangeable, refundable, revocable or cancelable" and "must be used by the same person for [the entire] period of validity," the rules state.