Two criminal gangs, which turned Disney Resort hotel key cards into fake "Early Entry Passes", were busted in Shanghai this month.

A total of 33 suspects were arrested, and more than 500 counterfeit cards seized. The scam is estimated to have involved over 300,000 yuan (US$41,000).

Guests staying at the Shanghai Disney Resort's Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel enjoy a key benefit: they may enter the theme park one hour before regular visitors, by showing their hotel room key card.

However, some guests check out without using this privilege, creating a loophole for fraud.

The suspects purchased such hotel key cards for 80 to 100 yuan each and resold them to theme park visitors at 120 to 150 yuan online, marketing them as "special Early Entry Passes".

Initially, the scammers resold genuine hotel key cards. But as demand grew, they started producing counterfeit cards. The fake cards are poorly made and thinner than genuine ones.

In March, police officers in Shanghai's Pudong New Area spotted several suspicious individuals at the Disney Resort offering to buy hotel key cards from visitors.

Park staff had also noticed an unusual spike in early-entry guests, far exceeding the actual number of hotel visitors. Some cards turned out to be fake.

Sensing a fraud, police launched a special task force. After months of investigation, they identified two criminal rings behind the scheme.

On July 7, police carried out a raid and arrested 33 suspects. A card-printing machine and a computer used to forge guest records were also seized at the scene.