The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Quezon City Police District cracked down on a ticket scam targeting the ongoing Metro Manila Film Festival as three individuals were arrested for illegally selling complimentary tickets online and through meetups.

The operation stemmed from a tip, after investigators discovered fake MMFF tickets being sold on Facebook for inflated prices — from P1,300 to P1,500 per ticket — more than triple the usual cinema ticket price.

Undercover officers posed as buyers and arranged a meeting with one of the suspects on 14 December and the ticket obtained during this initial transaction was confirmed to be fake by the MMFF Secretariat.

The encounter triggered a full-scale entrapment operation and the first suspect, upon apprehension, revealed the identities of his accomplices. A total of 40 counterfeit tickets were seized and the remaining two individuals involved were apprehended.

MMDA chairperson Atty. Don Artes has strongly condemned the illegal activity. He emphasized that complimentary MMFF tickets are strictly non-transferable and cannot be resold for profit.

He also warned that selling or buying such tickets is punishable under RA 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The three suspects are currently in police custody and face charges of Estafa through Falsification of Public Documents.