Ticketing
The scam
You visit a website that guarantees you tickets to popular sports and music events - even when they have already sold out or tickets haven't yet gone on sale.
If you pay, you'll never see the tickets. Your calls and emails will either go unanswered, or you'll be told a representative will meet you at the venue - but nobody will turn up. You'll be left out of pocket and unable to attend the event.
Similar scams operate on eBay and on social networking websites.
Of course, there are lots of legitimate ticketing websites, and scammers make it difficult for you to spot a fake. It is easy for them to set up a website that looks convincing, or has a name similar to a genuine website.
Protect yourself
- Beware of sites selling tickets to events that haven't gone on sale or that guarantee tickets to events that have been sold out for months.
- Put the website name into a search engine like Google to see what you can find out.
- Make sure the company behind the website provides a full street address for their business, not just a Post Office or mail box number. And try its UK landline phone number. Be wary of buying from a site that only gives an email address or mobile phone number.
- Ask for details. What type of seat/ticket are you buying? What is the face value of the ticket? How much is the ticket being sold for, and are there any additional charges? When will the ticket be dispatched and how will you be notified? What happens if things go wrong? What is the company's policy on refunds?
- Pay for tickets by credit card. Under the Consumer Credit Act, your card issuer is jointly liable for the failure to provide goods or services if the cash price of a single ticket is over £100.
- Follow basic advice for safe online shopping. Read the guidance from Get Safe Online.
If you think you've been a victim of this scam, call Consumer Direct for advice on 08454 04 05 06.
Example scam
See what a fake ticketing website might look like.
Recovering your money
Once your money has been taken it can be very difficult to get it back. However, you might be able to make a claim from your card provider or insurance company.
If you paid by credit card, contact your card issuer in writing as soon as you suspect you've been conned. And see our advice about claiming against the credit card provider under the Consumer Credit Act.
If you paid by debit card, you are not covered by the Consumer Credit Act, and there is no legal obligation on the card provider to reimburse you. However, you may still be able to ask for money back under the 'chargeback' procedure operated by members of the Visa and Mastercard schemes. Ask your bank if this is possible.
Also, check whether your home insurance policy covers you for fraud.
