Authorities in Australia have issued a warning for fake festival and concert tickets after a woman was found to have conned buyers out of $10,000.
According to Daily Mail, 19-year-old Hannah Valentine pleaded guilty to 28 fraud charges in connection to a ticketing scam. She allegedly conned more than 100 people in search of festival and concert tickets by using fake profiles on Facebook and Gumtree.
Here are some tips on how to avoid these scams.
Do your research and out who the ‘authorised’ ticket seller is, the event venue and when tickets go on sale officially.
Avoid tickets on sale before the official date, they may be fake.
Beware of websites that ‘appear’ to be authorised ticket sellers.
Don’t trust search engines: They’re paid by scammers to put their sites on top of the search list.
Sign up for alerts from artists’ mailing lists and social media accounts, as well as mailing lists for venues, festivals, promoters and authorised ticket sellers.
Check the ticket you’re buying to ensure it’s got the seat number, and any conditions as restricted view or age limit. Those sold by authorised tickets sellers and resellers will have them.
Read the terms and conditions: If you’re buying from a ticket reseller, how do you get a refund if something goes wrong? Resold tickets are usually cancelled by the promoter or authorised ticket seller.
Pay by credit or debit card: It provides more protection if something goes wrong. Don’t transfer cash into the reseller’s bank account. Get a receipt for your transaction.