Ticket fraud prevention advice

With online ticket fraud once again in the headlines, the City of London Police, the UK’s lead for force for fraud, is reminding music fans about how to guard against a crime, estimated to have earned fraudster’s around the globe £168 million last year.

The call follows a spike in reports about alleged fraudulent ticketing websites flowing through to the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) from Action Fraud. The bureau regularly receives reports about this type of fraud, especially during the summer months.

Tickets for big gigs are highly sought after and often sold out the day they go on sale. This allows fraudsters to take advantage of the demand for tickets, leading to the set-up of websites offering tickets to popular festivals and concerts. Customers believe they have bought legitimate tickets, only to discover that they had been defrauded and left with no tickets and no money.

How to spot a scam website?

• Go to the official gig website to find out exactly where tickets are being sold.
• Be wary if previously advertised sold out tickets are on sale.
• Research the company online.
• Check they have a real world presence, for example, a registered UK landline phone number. This can be checked in the BT phonebook.
• Look out for platform telephone numbers starting 070 or 004470. These can be set-up on the Internet and answered anywhere in the world.
• Check they are a registered company with Companies House.
• Check ticketing forums to find feedback from people who have purchased tickets from the website.
• Be cautious on how you transfer funds. 

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of ticketing fraud, should contact Action Fraud (external link).

The NFIB works closely with Action Fraud taking confirmed reports on many different types of fraud.

Find out more about the NFIB (external link)