FESTIVAL season is upon us, and with it, an influx of holiday scams.
But Mark Johnson, online safety expert and head of customer security at TalkTalk, has five tips you must know to avoid festival ticket fraud this summer.
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Ticket and holiday booking scams robbed an eyewatering £6.7million out of Brits’ pockets in 2022, according to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for cybercrime.
“Online safety is always important but especially during the busy summer period when people are buying tickets or booking holidays online,” says Johnson.
“With new scams cropping up every day, it’s never been more important to take care of your hard-earned cash.”
With Glastonbury right around the corner, the likelihood of second-hand ticket sales on third-party sites or social media is rising – but not all of these offers will be legit.
Stick to what you know
Johnson’s first tip on making sure you’re getting bang for your buck is to stick to the reliable sites you know and trust.
Online scammers often use third party sites or marketplaces to pose
as ticket sellers, getting people to pay for tickets they will never receive.
Even if this cuts out re-sell offers, it’s sometimes better to be safe than sorry.
Be wary of social media
The second tip is to be wary of deals you see on social media, receive via email or WhatsApp.
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Everyone loves a good deal, particularly in a cost of living crisis.
But scammers have always prayed on those looking for a bargain.
Sometimes, it really is too good to be true.
Be sure to only click a link that you are certain is genuine, and that the person contacting you or the email is from a mailing list you’re
signed up to.
Avoid bank transfer
Thirdly, make sure you always pay using your debit or credit card.
Avoid paying by bank transfer at all costs.
Debit or credit cards offer users protection when it comes to their money being lost in scams.
Contact your bank
If you fear you’ve fallen victim to a ticket scam, contact your bank straight away.
Be mindful that you’re using the legitimate phone number to report the scam to your bank.
TalkTalk customers can use the 159 short code from their landline to get straight through to the bank’s fraud team if the bank
supports the service, Johnson noted.
Boost your security
Johnson’s fifth and final tip is to find out if your Wi-Fi provider offers free security features.
Security software and search filters will automatically block potentially risky third-party ticket sites from even appearing in your search.
For example, TalkTalk offers Full Fibre 150, 500 and 900 customers Amazon eero’s security system ‘eeroSecure’ for free – which typically retails at £99 per year.
While BT offers its in-house BT Virus Protect software for free on all broadband packages for up to two PCs.
Sky also offers its Sky Broadband Shield, which comes with SafeSearch, at no extra cost to customers.
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