BRITS have been told to be on high alert after thousands of people lost huge sums to fake ticket scams online last year.
Action Fraud has revealed that an eye-watering £6.7million was stolen, which works out to an average of £772 per victim.
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Cyber thieves are especially targeting music lovers around this time of year with genuine looking phishing messages rife.
These can land in your email inbox on services like Gmail, appear in texts via WhatsApp or land on your Facebook account.
Too many people are losing out to fraudulent activity or genuine looking phishing messages
Pauline Smith
Cunning con-artists often create fake ticket retail companies to dupe people into trusting them too.
Police are urging users to watch out with big sell-out events coming up like the Glastonbury Festival and Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.
Read more about scams
Lloyds Bank recent revealed that more than 600 customers reported being scammed over Eras Tour dates.
More than 8,700 people reported they had been a victim ticket fraud last year, according to Action Fraud.
“We all want to enjoy ticketed events this summer, but that doesn’t stop fraudsters from taking the fun out things we look forward to doing,” said Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud.
“Too many people are losing out to fraudulent activity or genuine looking phishing messages.
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“Make sure you don’t get ticked off – recognise the signs of ticket fraud before getting caught out.
“Remember to be wary of unsolicited messages offering deals too good to be true.”
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Almost 3,000 people reported being scammed with fake concert tickets last year, followed by over 2,500 related to travel and 1,561 associated with sporting events.
People desperate to get hold of tickets have been reminded to only buy from the venue’s box office, the promoter, an official agent or a well-known and reputable ticket exchange site.
Just don’t buy from strangers on Facebook
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Senior Technology and Science Reporter at The Sun
People regularly try to flog tickets for shows they can no longer attend on Facebook groups.
And it’s extremely tempting when you’re desperate to attend.
But the risk of losing huge sums of money is just not worth it.
I once (stupidly) sought out tickets on Facebook and it was riddled with scammers – fortunately I can tell the signs so didn’t lose anything but as Action Fraud’s latest data shows, thousands of people are.
So no matter how genuine a person may seem, I would reiterate the police’s advice – only buy from the venue’s box office, the promoter, an official agent or a well-known and reputable ticket exchange site.
“Buying from a STAR member means you are buying from an authorised ticket supplier signed up to our strict code of practice,” explained Jonathan Brown, Chief Executive of Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers.
“While we hope you never have to use it, this also gets you access to our approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service.
“There are so many great gigs and festivals happening throughout the UK this summer, but sadly there are fraudsters waiting to ride on the back of public excitement about those events by ripping-off ticket buyers.”
Essential tips to avoid a ticket scam
Action Fraud has shared some essential advice when buying tickets online.
- Only buy tickets from the venue’s box office, the promoter, an official agent or a well-known and reputable ticket exchange site.
- Avoid paying for tickets by bank transfer, especially if buying from someone unknown. Credit card or payment services such as PayPal give you a better chance of recovering the money if you become a victim of fraud.
- The password you use for your email account, as well as any other accounts you use to purchase tickets, should be different from all your other passwords.
- Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on tickets.
- Is the vendor a member of Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR)? If they are, the company has signed up to their strict governing standards. STAR also offers an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service to help customers with outstanding complaints. For more information visit star.org.uk/buy_safe.
