Ticket fraud

It refers to the scams where people want to buy tickets for festivals, sports or concerts and assume they pay for a reliable website. But, in reality, they may be buying from sites charging more money, offering invalid tickets, or collecting the payment details to commit financial crimes. 
 
Such scammers use different schemes to extract funds from unsuspecting fans of the event whenever it is declared. In recent years, many such events were announced but cancelled at the last moment due to COVID lockdowns, and many who bought tickets online lost money to fake sites. 
 
In the post-covid phase, it is assumed there will be no more restrictions, and organisers will announce events. However, fraudsters will again try to trick unsuspecting victims into paying for bogus tickets to concerts or sports events. As per reports, victims lost over £1.5m to such scams. Consequently, the authorities have been generating awareness to help those who book passes from unauthorised platforms.

How Does It Happen?

The fraudsters offer the possibility to buy cards for a popular event, and then it states it has been sold out or has not yet been offered for sale. Then, they create bogus retail sites to sell that appear genuine but are created for committing phishing attacks to take advantage of the demand. 

People make overpayments through the available methods like cash or money transfer, but later, they do not get anything. In reality, no tickets are available, or they promote an event that does not exist. 

It can be overpriced, or the provider seeks payment, but the seller never shows up when you try to meet in person. Instead, the buyer gets invalid papers or gets assaulted or robbed when they meet the seller. If it is invalid or if the buyer gets a stolen one, they are denied entry. 

You should not buy it through bidding sites(like eBay and others) and transfer money to the seller's account; instead, use a credit card to pay, where you can reverse the transaction in case of fraud. 

Some buy entry cards for non-existent events that sound real, but in reality, there is no event on that date at the mentioned location. 

How To Protect Yourself?

• Check the official event organiser to get the authentic distribution lists. See their landline phone number and address.

• If you are visiting a concert of a popular artist – look at their messages and websites to know the platforms they recommend for buying.

• Research the company and see the address of the sites carefully before making any purchase. Check the reviews of other buyers.

• Any vendor member of STAR is considered reliable as it has signed up to strict rules and standards, and one can file a complaint if there is an issue. Do not trust unauthorised sellers you meet on social media. 

• Make payments through secure sites that begin with "HTTPS." Or you can pay by credit card but never transfer money directly into the account of an unknown individual seller. See if the company offering it has a full postal address on the site, and one should double-check the address to ensure the site URL is correct.

• · If you suspect a fraud, report it to the authorities.