• A company guarantees that they can get you tickets to a popular event that is sold out or tickets that aren't even on sale yet.
• After you’ve paid, the tickets aren't delivered.
• You may be told that a customer representative will meet you at the venue on the day but nobody turns up.
• Your calls to the company go unanswered or divert to a different number. You are left out of pocket and disappointed.

There are a lot of legitimate websites and scammers make it difficult for you to spot a fake. It's easy to set up a fancy looking website that looks genuine or has a name similar to a genuine website. Professional fraudsters are at work.

• Is the site making claims that sound too good to be true? Are they selling tickets to events that haven't gone on sale yet? Are they guaranteeing you tickets to events that have been sold out for months?
• What do you know about the website?
  • Check where the website is registered and who it is registered to. How long has the website been registered?
  • Always check for feedback, both positive and negative. Enter the website name into a search engine.
• What do you know about the company you’re buying from?
  • Where is their office? Companies must supply the full geographic address where their business is established, not just a P.O. Box or mailbox number. Check out the address using a search engine – you can often find out if it is just a mail forwarding service.
  • How can you contact them? Do they have a landline number in the UK? Does this number work? Is it automated and/or require you to leave messages on an answer phone? Be wary if they only supply you with an email address or mobile phone number.
  • If a company sells over the VAT threshold per annum they are required to have a UK VAT number. Does the company have a UK VAT number?
• Be aware of similar scams on online auctions and social networking websites.

• Be aware of how and when tickets for the event are being distributed by checking with the event organiser, promoter or venue where the event will be held.
• 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?
• Buying football tickets? Remember under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, it is illegal to re-sell football tickets unless expressly authorised.
• Pay for tickets by credit card. Under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, as amended, the card issuer is jointly liable for the failure to provide goods or services provided that the cash price of a single ticket is over £100 (but not more than £30,000).
• When booking online check that the payment pages are secure by looking for a padlock symbol or making sure the website address begins with an https prefix.
• Always print out a copy of your order and a copy of the acknowledgement you should receive from the company.

If you believe that you have been a victim
of a scam you can:

Take action:

• Report the incident to the police and get a crime reference number.
• Advise the websites Internet Service Provider that you have reported the incident to police.
• Help others by sharing your experiences, both good and bad, by writing reviews when you make purchases.

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 then contact your card issuer immediately in writing. Under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, as amended, the card issuer is jointly liable for the failure to provide goods or services provided that the cash price for a single ticket is over £100 (but not more than £30,000).
• If you paid by debit card you are not covered by section 75 and there is no legal obligation on the card provider to reimburse you. You may though be able to ask for money back under the 'chargeback' procedure operated by members of the Visa and Mastercard schemes - speak to your bank to see if this is possible.
• Check your home insurance policy. Some have clauses covering fraud protection.