Man Arrested After Alleged 1.8m Yuan Nicholas Tse Concert Fraud

Shanghai police have arrested a man accused of defrauding a woman of more than 1.8 million yuan (US$252,000) by claiming he could arrange a concert featuring Hong Kong singer and actor Nicholas Tse, The Paper reported.

Police in Shanghai's Putuo District said the suspect, surnamed Gu, allegedly posed as the son of a senior official and claimed to have strong connections in the entertainment industry.

The case came to light on April 26, when a woman surnamed Chen reported to police that she had been cheated out of the money after seeking help to organize a Tse performance.

Chen met Gu through a friend in October 2023. In late February 2025, she asked at a dinner whether he could help contact Tse for an offline performance. Gu allegedly agreed, saying he knew the son of an entertainment company executive who could arrange the concert.

To gain Chen's trust, Gu allegedly sent her doctored screenshots of chats with the supposed contact and later claimed he was also in touch with Tse's assistant.

In late March 2025, Chen transferred 1 million yuan to Gu in several payments as a so-called facilitation fee and travelled with him to Beijing to finalize the deal, police said.

Gu allegedly avoided arranging any real meetings, saying industry figures did not like meeting strangers. He later asked Chen for more money, including funds he claimed were needed to buy luxury watches as gifts.

After months passed without progress and Gu repeatedly gave excuses, Chen reported the case to police.

Investigators found Gu's claimed family background, education and entertainment connections were fabricated, and that the chat records had been edited by Gu himself, according to the reports.

Police arrested Gu on May 27 in another province. He later admitted to the alleged fraud, police said. Authorities said the money had been spent on personal consumption, including drinking and entertainment at karaoke venues.

Gu has been approved for arrest on suspicion of fraud. The case remains under further investigation.