On June 2, "I accidentally saw a seller on a second-hand platform selling discounted plane tickets. I happened to be planning to book a flight at the time, so I contacted the seller. I thought buying a discounted ticket would save me 600 yuan, but instead I was scammed out of 1,800 yuan." Today, consumer Ms. Zhang of Wuxi, Jiangsu, recounted to the reporter over the phone her experience of being scammed while buying discounted plane tickets on a second-hand platform.

"We two planned to travel from Wuxi to Beijing. I saw a seller on the second-hand platform claiming to be an internal employee with discounted tickets in hand, able to save 300 yuan per ticket and 600 yuan for two, so I believed it," Ms. Zhang said. On May 21, she transferred 900 yuan to the other party. But the other party said the flight number had not been noted, and required another transfer, promising that the previously paid amount would be refunded after this payment succeeded. After repeatedly confirming that the previous payment could be refunded, Ms. Zhang transferred another 900 yuan to the other party.

However, not long after, the other party claimed the ticket had been issued incorrectly and said a refund needed to be arranged via QQ, and asked Ms. Zhang to share her phone screen. Only then did Ms. Zhang realize she had fallen victim to a scam and stopped contacting the other party.

A search by the reporter on the second-hand platform found many listings for discounted and specially priced plane tickets. Some sellers claimed their business covered all major domestic airlines, with prices so low they were "selling for whatever you pay." However, the reporter's interviews revealed that discounted tickets harbor hidden tricks, and many consumers have been scammed.

"For a flight from Guangzhou to Urumqi, a ticket on a legitimate platform costs two to three thousand yuan. The seller said they could get an airline insider to buy it on my behalf for only 1,789 yuan, so I was tempted—never expecting it to be a trap," consumer Mr. Huang of Guangzhou told the reporter.

Mr. Huang said that because he had traded on the platform before and found it fairly reliable, he paid a 565-yuan deposit as the seller requested. The seller then claimed that about half the ticket price had to be paid before the ticket could be issued normally, so Mr. Huang paid another 312 yuan and, at the other party's request, clicked to confirm receipt. The next day, when Mr. Huang asked the seller when the ticket would be issued, he discovered the other party had blocked him. In the end, Mr. Huang not only failed to buy a ticket but also lost 877 yuan.

"Ticket transactions on second-hand platforms involve other traps as well. For example, some 'illegal ticket agents' use the mileage points of agents or other customers to redeem tickets. Although cheaper than market price, such tickets come with many restrictions, and if discovered, the ticket can be voided," an industry insider told the reporter.

Li Bin, a lawyer at Beijing Zhongwen Law Firm, said consumers should not blindly pursue low prices when buying plane tickets and other goods, but should choose legitimate channels. "When the price of goods on a second-hand platform is significantly below market price, the corresponding risk is also much higher. In the process, consumers not only face financial loss but may also suffer information leaks."

Li Bin called on second-hand platforms to fulfill their qualification review obligations and to adopt various methods to remind buyers to guard against risks. He said that if a platform knows a seller is engaged in illegal or non-compliant behavior but still provides corresponding services, or fails to take corresponding measures to stop the seller's behavior, it may bear joint liability.