It’s a universal problem, but with the announcement of the East Coast Live and McBusted concerts coming to Ipswich, music fans are being warned by Suffolk Trading Standards not to fall victim to fake ticketing sites for summer concerts and festivals.
Later this year, Ipswich Chantry Park will host the East Coast Live music festival, featuring acts such as Jessie J, Jason Derulo and Rizzle Kicks. McBusted are also coming to town with Backstreet Boys, Scouting For Girls, 5ive and Diversity.
Every year, thousands of people pay for event tickets from scam websites and never receive them or they turn out to be completely fake.
Recent research from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) reveals that one in 12 ticket buyers has been caught out by scam ticket websites, with victims losing an average of £80 each.
It is easy for fraudsters to set up a legitimate looking website and even use similar URL’s to dupe buyers. If people use unofficial ticket websites, ticket re-sale outlets or touts they run the risk of being scammed.
In 2012, hundreds of fans were turned away from the JLS concert as they had unknowingly bought fake tickets.
Councillor Colin Spence, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for public protection, said:
“It’s important that those buying tickets online to beware of sites selling tickets to events that haven’t gone on sale. “
“If in doubt, put the website’s name into a search engine like Google to see what people are saying about that site, and to use www.safeconcerts.com to find out more about the seller.”
Top tips to protect yourself against ticket fraud:
- Always check with the event organiser for official ticket distribution lists.
- Pay for tickets by credit card – the card issuer is jointly liable for a failure for goods or services to be provided as long as the price of a single ticket is over than £100.
- Only make purchase from sites encrypted for payment. Look for the closed padlock and the web address in the browser should begin “https”.
- If you are unsure about a website, run a quick online search and check ticketing forums to find feedback from others.
- Look out for telephone numbers starting 070 or 004470. These can be set-up on the Internet and answered anywhere in the world.
- Check sellers’ privacy policy and returns policy.
If you have concerns about a ticketing site that you have purchased from, contact Trading Standards via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506.
For more information on how to protect against ticket fraud: http://suffolktradingstandards.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/fans-warned-of-fake-ticket-sites/
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Ticket scam warning
It’s a universal problem, but with the announcement of the East Coast Live and McBusted concerts coming to Ipswich, music fans are being warned by Suffolk Trading Standards not to fall victim to fake ticketing sites for summer concerts and festivals.
Later this year, Ipswich Chantry Park will host the East Coast Live music festival, featuring acts such as Jessie J, Jason Derulo and Rizzle Kicks. McBusted are also coming to town with Backstreet Boys, Scouting For Girls, 5ive and Diversity.
Every year, thousands of people pay for event tickets from scam websites and never receive them or they turn out to be completely fake.
Recent research from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) reveals that one in 12 ticket buyers has been caught out by scam ticket websites, with victims losing an average of £80 each.
It is easy for fraudsters to set up a legitimate looking website and even use similar URL’s to dupe buyers. If people use unofficial ticket websites, ticket re-sale outlets or touts they run the risk of being scammed.
In 2012, hundreds of fans were turned away from the JLS concert as they had unknowingly bought fake tickets.
Councillor Colin Spence, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for public protection, said:
“It’s important that those buying tickets online to beware of sites selling tickets to events that haven’t gone on sale. “
“If in doubt, put the website’s name into a search engine like Google to see what people are saying about that site, and to use www.safeconcerts.com to find out more about the seller.”
Top tips to protect yourself against ticket fraud:
If you have concerns about a ticketing site that you have purchased from, contact Trading Standards via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506.
For more information on how to protect against ticket fraud: http://suffolktradingstandards.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/fans-warned-of-fake-ticket-sites/