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A staggering one of every three victims say they’ve fallen for such scams at least three different times in the past two years.
Barclays Bank quoted the figures while warning music lovers preparing for festival season to be aware of what’s out there.
The glut of shows and what appears to be widespread availability of tickets to sold-out events leaves unwitting buyers vulnerable to buying those that don’t exist, are counterfeit or are never delivered.
An average of $231 is lost to ticket scammers – a number higher than many festivals cost, according to Barclays.
The scammers have become so sophisticated that they don’t even need websites: Some are creating social media personas.
The largest number of victims are 18 to 29 years old, Barclays noted.
“As we enter the festival season, it is easy to forget our online safety as people look to secure their must-have tickets,” said Ross Martin, Barclays’ head of digital safety.
Martin recommended:
Know the seller. You have primary ticketers such as as Ticketmaster and TicketWeb, as well as LiveNation.com and the Live Nation mobile app; official fan clubs; and official resale marketplaces, such as StubHub, Vivid Seats, Seat Geek and Flash Seats – as well as a Ticketmaster resale platform. HUGE KEY: All have 100% money back guarantees.
Do some research. Search for customer feedback elsewhere and see whether buyers have had problems with the seller.
Think carefully. If you’re deciding to pay what could amount to vacation for one show, consider that YOU are the scammers’ biggest target.
Is it too good to be true? As they say, it probably is.
Look for the padlock symbol in the web address, which should start with “https://”. You’re not dealing with a legit site if has neither.
Don’t pay directly. Scammers can make off with your money and there’s nothing you can do about it. Always pay with a credit card – preferably the one the gives you the most protection.
Don’t wait until the last minute to download your ticket. Once it arrives via email, download it, review it to make sure it’s legit and contact the seller if anything seems sketchy.
A final warning: NEVER share a photo of your ticket online.
Scammers can produce bogus tickets by lifting the barcode and then selling counterfeit copies to someone else. You get to the show and can’t get in because your ticket has already been scanned in. And there’s nothing you can do about it.
READ MORE: Ticket To Nowhere
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