Trading Standards are working with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to warn festival goers and sporting fans of sophisticated online fake ticketing websites, which have been known to leave fans hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
The summer months are marked by a packed calendar of music and events, from classical to jazz and pop to rock, as well as high profile sporting events, and the OFT has launched its ‘Just Tick It’ campaign to warn fans that summer events are peak times for scammers.
Some online fake ticketing sites will often offer cheap or scare tickets, which do not turn up, leaving fans hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
Cllr Lyn Ackerman, Cabinet Member for the Environment said, “We are pleased to support this campaign, which aims to highlight to consumers the existence of online ticket scams, and provide ticket buyers with helpful and practical advice on how to avoid being scammed.”
Research from the OFT highlights that one in twelve ticket buyers have been caught out by scam ticket websites with victims losing an average of £80 each.
Last year alone, thousands of people lost money over scam sites, offering tickets for everything from the V Festival to George Michael’s O2 concert.
The Just Tick It campaign urges concert goers to tick off these top tips to make sure they are buying the real deal: –
- How has the website got the tickets to sell? Check with the festival to find out when tickets are being released for sale and when the tickets will be sent out.
- What are others saying about the website? Search the Internet to find out what other people’s experiences have been.
- How can you contact the company? Check that you know their geographic address and check they have a working landline phone number.
- Can they provide ticket details? Ensure the face value of the tickets and the seat location/festival area is clearly listed.
- Do they provide refunds? Make sure there is a refund policy in case something goes wrong.
For more information about scam ticket websites and how to protect yourself, visit the Just Tick It website.
