Thousands of music fans in Shanghai were apparently fooled into buying tickets for a bogus "secret concert" by Daft Punk that was supposed to take place in the city Feb. 13.
A Facebook page led fans to a local Web site where they were told how to purchase tickets for the show. An address was given as well as a cell phone number.
Those who bought the tickets priced at 500 yuan each (about $73) were told they would receive a phone call on the day of the show informing them where the concert would be.
A Web site was dedicated to the concert but listed no venue. The site has since been shut down and the "promoters" have disappeared.
Daft Punk agent Peter Elliott told the Shanghai Daily in a Feb. 10 e-mail exchange that the electronic dance duo never had any plans to perform in the city.
In fact, Daft Punk has no plans to tour anywhere this year, he said.
"At no point was there ever a possibility that they would do such a show," he wrote. "The band and those around them were made aware of the scam in the last day or so and are very upset."
He added that fans should check the group's MySpace site to confirm any concert dates. He said the band might perform in China as part of its next world tour, which would likely be in 2010 or 2011.
At least one local band tried to take advantage of the scam.
An electronica dance group called Bananas used the fallout from the con to publicize their own concert, which was scheduled for the same night as the fake show. Bananas changed the name of their gig to the "Daft-er Party."