A Guest Blog from James Clancey, Detective Inspector, Economic Crime, City of London Police.
I am writing this in-between radio interviews for the latest Get Safe Online awareness campaign on online ticketing scams. It’s been a busy day so far but we are really pleased to be getting advice out far and wide to consumers. The City of London Police and Get Safe Online have been working in partnership to help raise awareness of these scams, which involve criminal cyber gangs ripping off unsuspecting internet users with non-existent gig tickets. With 1 in 10 people, or someone they know, falling victim to this type of scam it’s vital that we alert the general public to the risks. The issue is wide spread; every time a new music event is announce the web will be inundated with fake websites set up with the soul purpose of attracting victims. These websites are very professional, and spotting the difference between a genuine site and a fraudulent one is very tricky. Tickets to the best acts sell out extremely quickly, often within minutes, and fans can become desperate to see their favourite band or artist live. The fraudsters play on this anxiety and tempt consumers to their expert looking sites to encourage them to buy tickets which simply don’t exist.
Send your friends and family this new advice video from Get Safe Online to ensure they are aware of the risks of buying fake tickets on the internet:
http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_name=videos_1
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Dear Get safe on line.
I have been vitim to Ticket Net. I brought two tickets for the Isle of Wight festival this year and spent £400 on them.
I have discovered that this site was a fake and I am trying to claim my money back.
This seems to be an issue as it seems there is no support from my credit card company, or any feed back on the issue from those who are investigating the wide problem.