Ticketmaster has issued a warning over fraudulent ticket sellers falsely claiming to represent the company.

It said a Dublin-based fake ticket seller is promising fans advance tickets and/or tickets for last-minute collection from the venue on show night that do not exist.

“Unfortunately, some fans have already lost large sums of money to this individual,” the company said in a statement, also signed by 3Arena, Aviva Stadium, Croke Park, FAI, IRFU, MCD Production and Festival Republic.

Ticketmaster is calling on “all concert, sporting, theatre and festival goers to be extra vigilant for fraudulent ticket sellers falsely claiming to represent the authorised ticket agent (Ticketmaster)”.

It says it’s working with An Garda Siochána (the national police and security service of Ireland), adding that enhanced security and ticket verification arrangements are being implemented for all forthcoming events.

The statement has also been signed by 3Arena, Aviva Stadium, Croke Park, FAI, IRFU, MCD Production and Festival Republic

Anyone who has bought fake tickets as a result of the situation or who has any information about it is encouraged to report it to Gardaí.

A similar warning about ticket fraud was issued earlier this year by The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

The police said that individuals had lost hundreds of pounds after paying for what they believed to be genuine Oasis and Coldplay tickets from third-party retailers.

PSNI described ticket fraud as “a continuing problem” and that “fraudsters will try everything to lure people into falling for their scams”.

Almost £300,000 was lost to ticket fraud in Northern Ireland in 2023. Data from Action Fraud showed £6.7m was lost to ticket fraud across the UK in the same year.

In an effort to discourage people from buying tickets listed on secondary platforms, Oasis announced that thousands of tickets sold on resale websites will be cancelled ahead of their upcoming reunion tour.

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Police Scotland are warning the public to be alert to online ticket fraud following hundreds of reports over the past nine months.

Officers say there were 313 reported incidents of fraud across Scotland between January and September involving the online sale of tickets for major events – equating to 6% of all cyber fraud incidents – with 60% relating to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Edinburgh, alongside other concerts such as Oasis and TRNSMT, as well as sporting events.

The majority take place on social media and online marketplace platforms by individuals and groups looking to exploit members of the public for financial gain.

“We’ve noticed a trend in this type of crime reported around major events happening in Scotland,” says Insp Alasdair Penny of cybercrime harm prevention. “The figures represent a significant proportion of cybercrime, but we believe these types of incidents are underreported and the true figure will be much higher.

“Reports relating to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour have made up the majority and we’re aware there are a number of highly anticipated events next year, including the Oasis tour and TRNSMT.”

Swift performed three sold out nights at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium in June, while Oasis are set to follow suit next August.

“We have publicly raised the threat of cyber criminality and the increase in online offending and have put plans in place to address it,” says Penny. “The chief constable unveiled a new vision for Police Scotland, including a commitment to establish a new cyber command and increase our capabilities to tackle online fraud.

“Our message is: be vigilant. If a price or offer seems too good to be true, it probably is”

“We want to make sure the public is aware of potential fraudulent sales and provide advice around how to spot it. Our message is: be vigilant. If a price or offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

According to the figures, women between the ages of 18 and 24 are most at risk from this type of fraud. Police have issued advice on what to look out for when buying tickets.

“Before purchasing, carefully review the ticket details for authenticity,” adds Penny. “Check for accurate event information, including the date, time, and venue. Pay attention to the seating section or assigned seats, which can indicate fraudulent tickets.

“Buy from legitimate sources, check bank details provided and use secure payment methods. Credit cards and reputable online payment platforms offer additional protection against fraudulent transactions. Avoid paying with cash, wire transfers, or unsecured payment methods.

“Please report any fraudulent activity to police. We will fully investigate and we work alongside partners to raise awareness and tackle those involved in such offences.”

UK Swifties were estimated to have lost over £1 million (€1.2m) in a wave of online scams since tickets went on sale for the European leg of The Eras Tour in July 2023, according to previous analysis by Lloyds Bank.

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Middle East-based online ticketing platform Platinumlist has moved to combat fraud by transitioning from PDF tickets to a “more secure” mobile system.

Its new SafeTickets function, which operates exclusively through the company’s mobile app, employs QR code technology that updates a few times a minute, preventing screenshots and offering a ticket transfer feature.

The Dubai-headquartered firm is active across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and expanded into Turkey last year.

“This innovation will revolutionise the industry, not just in the UAE and the MENA region, but globally”

“The event tickets market is rapidly expanding, particularly in the UAE,” says Cosmin Ivan CEO of Platinumlist. “We’ve noticed a demand for increased convenience, and traditional PDF tickets are becoming outdated.

“Also, based on our experience of operating in the Gulf region since 2009, we’ve noticed a growing demand for digital security and comfort across events. This is why we decided to launch new mobile tickets featuring screenshot protection, offline functionality and sharing options.

“We are going to announce another great feature soon. This innovation will revolutionise the industry, not just in the UAE and the MENA region, but globally.”

Platinumlist says that SafeTickets has reduced reported fraud by 85% at events over the past six months, having been piloted across six GCC countries.

The business, which is featured in IQ‘s 2024 International Ticketing Report, has approximately 80% of the entertainment market in the UAE, according to Statista.

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Eventim has temporarily postponed the resale for the German dates of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour after hackers attempted to steal digital tickets for the concerts.

Swift will visit Germany this summer for sold-out concerts at Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins-Arena (17-19 July), Volksparkstadion in Hamburg (23-24 July) and Munich’s Olympic Stadium (27-28 July). Her European tour launches in France tomorrow (9 May) with the first of four shows at Paris La Défense Arena.

According to Heise, cyber criminals are believed to have gained access to user accounts by trying out usernames and passwords from data dumps on the darknet, known as “credential stuffing”, before offering the tickets for resale on Eventim’s FanSale platform.

Eventim, which contacted the police over the matter, says the number of unauthorised resales was in “the low double-digit range”, while the transactions identified as fraudulent have since reversed, and the buyers refunded.

“By using Eventim.Pass with exclusively digital tickets, on the one hand, the identified, abusive transactions were reversed,” a company spokesperson tells Watson. “On the other hand, the funds of the buyers of the stolen tickets were secured from being forwarded so that they can be refunded.”

Eventim says it has reset the “passwords of accounts that we classify as potentially at risk”

It has reset the “passwords of accounts that we classify as potentially at risk”, and is encouraging other users to follow suit.

“As email and password data was used that has very likely been in circulation for some time, we recommend that users first change their email password and then the password for their customer account,” advises the firm.

Elsewhere in Europe, it was reported last month that UK Swifties are estimated to have lost over £1 million (€1.2m) in a wave of online scams since tickets went on sale for the European leg of The Eras Tour last July, according to data from Lloyds Bank.

Meanwhile, a so-called Taylor Swift bill has been signed into law in Minnesota, US, to offer online ticket buyers more transparency and protection. AP reports the law, which will apply for concerts or other live events held in the state, will require sellers to disclose all fees upfront and ban resellers from selling more than one copy of a ticket, among other measures.

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More than 1,200 fans were denied entry to Madrid’s 16,000-capacity WiZink Center last year, having purchased false or duplicated tickets from unofficial platforms.

According to a report by the venue, there has been an “alarming increase in ticket fraud” in recent months, as fraudsters “capitalise on high demand and sophisticated technology to deceive fans who want to buy tickets at any price.”

In all cases, tickets had been purchased from secondary ticketing sites or through resale between individuals, either online or via street touts.

As reported in the International Ticketing Yearbook 2019, secondary ticketing has long been a controversial issue in Spain and has been raised at government level. However, according to promoters’ association APM, concrete action is yet to be taken.

In May last year, Anatic, the association for secondary ticketing in Spain, warned against the fraudulent behaviour of many resellers and called for regulation and professionalisation of the sector.

To avoid more fans falling foul of fraudsters, the arena – the biggest in Spain – has launched an awareness campaign, disseminating advice to fans through banners on its website and other digital platforms.

“This is a problem that affects us directly, given that we are the ones who end up denying entry”

“This is a problem that affects us directly,” says Almudena Requena, director of ticketing at the WiZink Center, “given that we are the ones who end up denying entry to people with these kinds of tickets. This places a responsibility on us that we are not accountable for.”

Eugeni Calsamiglia, general director of Ticketmaster Spain, says that although it has always been advisable to buy ticket through official channels, it is now “essential”.

“Current access control systems detect 100% of false or duplicated tickets,” explains Calsamiglia, “so the risk of not being able to enter a concert with a ticket bought on an unofficial channel is high.”

The arena reminds fans that, unlike tickets bought through unauthorised channels, tickets purchased from its online box office or through other official sellers also protect against cancellations and date changes.

Upcoming concerts at the WiZink Center include Halsey, Jonas Brothers, Maluma, Bon Iver and Dua Lipa.

Photo: Luis García/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) (cropped)

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The National Ticketing Association (Asociación Nacional de Ticketing – Anatic), an association representing Spain’s secondary ticketing sector, has issued a warning against the conduct of secondary ticketing operators in the country.

Anatic, founded in February 2018 by representatives of three Spanish secondary platforms, seeks to regulate and professionalise the secondary market. The organisation aims to weed out the fraudulent resellers that it believes are to blame for the resale market’s negative reputation.

The association is condemning “unethical conduct: falsification, fraud and resale” specifically with regards to the sale of tickets for the Champions League final in Madrid, but notes that the same practice extends to concert tickets.

Police in Madrid today arrested three individuals, confiscating 21 fake tickets and €3,180 in cash. The police warned against buying tickets outside of official channels.

The football final takes place on Saturday 1 June at Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium (67,829-cap.). The stadium, which played host to iron Maiden last summer, has a packed music schedule this year, with concerts from Ed Sheeran, Bon Jovi, Muse, Alejandro Sanz and Manuel Carrasco.

“[Regulation would] allow professional companies to operate in the sector in a trustworthy and rigorous manner”

“A number of resale sites are not verifying that they actually possess the tickets before putting them up for sale,” say Anatic representatives, stating that in many cases tickets are sold before appearing on the primary market.

The secondary ticketing organisation also stresses the need for a national register for resale operators, stating that this would “allow professional companies to operate in the sector in a trustworthy and rigorous manner.”

Once again, Anatic calls for the regulation of the secondary ticketing sector to eliminate the presence of “opportunistic actors that generate negative public opinion”. However, the association maintains its position that the secondary market is a “necessary” service.

According to the International Ticketing Yearbook 2018, secondary ticketing remains a contentious issue in Spain. Representatives from the Ministry of Culture called for national legislation on ticket resale in October, following proposals on Congress the previous year. Concrete action has yet to be taken.

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Ticketing giant Ticketmaster has launched SafeTix, adding anti-counterfeiting features to digital tickets and providing event owners with more data about event attendees.

The SafeTix feature issues buyers with a unique, identifiable digital ticket. The tickets are tied to each fan’s mobile phone through an encrypted barcode that automatically refreshes, preventing the use of screenshots to duplicate tickets.

The tickets also include near-field communication (NFC) technology to allow attendees to enter venues with a “tap and go” experience.

Fans can sell or transfer tickets to a friend’s mobile number or email address. A new digital ticket is tied to the recipient’s account and phone each time a ticket is transferred or sold, making the journey of each issued ticket visible to organisers.

This visibility provides event organisers with more data on each individual fan attending their event, rather than just that of the original ticket purchaser. Organisers can communicate directly with attendees, providing fans with venue- or event-specific information and personalised food, drink and merchandise offerings.

“SafeTix will allow fans to arrive at a show or game with confidence that their tickets are always 100% authentic”

“Given that a new ticket is issued every time there is a transfer or sale, event owners have the ability to develop a unique relationship with each fan, leading to in-venue personalisation and future communication while increasing their known fanbase,” says Justin Burleigh, chief product officer of Ticketmaster, North America.

“SafeTix will allow fans to arrive at a show or game with confidence that their tickets are always 100% authentic and will dramatically reduce the amount of ticket fraud event owners are dealing with on event day.”

SafeTix will be used across NFL stadiums for the 2019 season and for a variety of touring artists. It will be available at additional participating venues in the future.

Later this year, fans will also be able to add contactless tickets to Apple Wallet, allowing them to enter venues easily and securely using their iPhone or Apple Watch. Tickets are automatically selected when a customer holds their iPhone near the ticket reader, using proximity-based technology.

Apple and Ticketmaster unveiled the integration this month during the opening keynote at Transact, the world’s premiere FinTech conference.

Ticketmaster acquired blockchain-ticketing service Upgraded in October 2018.

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International consumer and wholesale bank Barclays has issued a warning to festivalgoers this summer who are at risk of losing £179 on average from ticketing scams.

New research carried out by the bank has shown that 26% of those aged between 25 and 34 have fallen victim to a ticketing scam, proving the most at risk age-group of those surveyed.

The bank also finds that scammers tend to target the same festivalgoer more than once, with 37% of victims saying they had fallen for at least three different ticketing scams in the last two years.

Barclays warns that fake ticketing websites and social media personas are the most common form of scam, with a bank transfer being the preferred method of payment for criminals.

The data reveals that fans are aware of the risk of buying tickets from unofficial sources, such as through a social media group, yet 40% of 25 to 34 year olds admitted they would be prepared to use social media to secure tickets, despite the risks.

Facebook has become a popular platform for ticket touts and scammers, who set up unofficial events pages or heavily advertise tickets on the official pages for artists or events.

“As we enter the festival season, it is easy to forget our online safety as people look to secure their must-have tickets”

In January, the social media giant committed to take action against ticket fraud, promising to launch a tool to report fake ads and donate £3 million to a project dedicated to tackling fraud.

“As we enter the festival season, it is easy to forget our online safety as people look to secure their must-have tickets,” comments Barclays head of digital safety, Ross Martin.

“Yet, we should all be aware of the risks when purchasing tickets and make sure we are carrying out proper safety checks, to ensure our festival experience is not ruined by fraudsters.”

The bank urges fans to ensure they buy tickets from legitimate sources, checking if websites are part of the UK’s Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) and are listed as an approved ticket seller on the festival website.

Further instructions warn against buying tickets advertised at heavily discounted prices, using payment pages that do not display a padlock symbol in the web address and purchasing from sellers insisting on payment by bank transfer.

Data released by STAR last year indicated that ticket fraud in the UK has been rising steadily on the past few years.

More details on how to stay safe when buying festival tickets can be found here.

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A Facebook spokesperson has said the social network is “taking action to stop” ticket fraud, two months after agreeing a £3 million legal settlement over scam adverts on its platform.

The social media giant in January agreed to launch a dedicated tool to report scam ads; donate £3m to a new Citizens Advice project to help tackle online fraud; and cover the legal costs of Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert founder, who brought the suit after more than 1,000 scam ads using his name or image appeared on the site.

While the scam-reporting button is due to be rolled out in May, a Times Money investigation has revealed that “fraudsters are blitzing the fan pages of pop stars with messages claiming that they have tickets for gigs and asking those interested to send them direct messages. Once a user sends money for the tickets to an account online, the scammers disappear.”

IQ revealed last August that ticket resellers are increasingly touting for business on Facebook, setting up unofficial Events pages to lure fans away from primary outlets and to secondary sites. However, the ‘resellers’ named in the Times article appear to be purely fraudulent, offering tickets they don’t have and never will.

Facebook: the next secondary ticketing battleground?

One particularly notorious scammer, ‘Sammie-Lou Teasley’, has reportedly posted on fan pages across Facebook claiming to have multiple tickets for acts including Mumford & Sons, George Ezra and the Paper Kites.

One victim, 49-year-old Andy Lopata, paid Teasley £100 for a ticket for Slash at the Hammersmith Apollo in February, arranging for the ticket to be sent to his email address. It never arrived, he says: “She had a conversational style that was very natural,” he tells the Times. “It wasn’t a transactional way of talking and was designed to allow me to take my guard down.”

Facebook says the company has taken down Teasley’s account, and is committed to stamping out fraud elsewhere on the site. “We have removed the account brought to our attention by the Times,” says a Facebook spokesperson. “Fraudulent activity is not tolerated on Facebook, and we are taking action to stop it.”

The UK’s Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (Star) revealed last year that ticket fraud increased 38% between 2015 and 2017, warning that British customers are “continuing to fall prey to deliberate fraudsters”.

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Just weeks after the closing acts of this year’s festival, tickets for Wacken Open Air 2019 have already sold out. A total of 75,000 tickets have been purchased for the 2019 event, which will celebrate 30 years of the world’s biggest heavy metal gathering.

In a statement on their website, the Wacken team thanked fans for their show of support. “We are completely overwhelmed by your loyalty and your support which seems to be unbroken for almost 30 years now,” it reads.

“We promise to achieve an Anniversary which you shall remember for a long time! You are and were always the heart of our festival and without you all of this would not be possible.”

However, amongst the excitement and gratitude, organisers have also issued a warning to fans who were unable to get tickets to next year’s event to stay away from secondary ticketing outlets.  Organisers have told fans to avoid buying tickets from eBay, Viagogo, Laolaevents, Global-tickets, Eventtickets24 and tickets75, adding that this list of what they deem to be untrustworthy retailers may be added to in the run up to 2019’s event.

“We are completely overwhelmed by your loyalty and your support which seems to be unbroken for almost 30 years now”

“We have no business relationship with these and other platforms and dealers,” reads a statement from organisers.

“Many of the pages have not only attracted attention by inflated prices, but also by the sale of stolen or deactivated tickets. In some cases, they are even selling tickets that they do not own at all.”

Their warning follows a recent similar caution from the Singapore Police Force, after a rise in the number of fraudulent tickets being sold through secondary marketplaces. In some cases, victims parted with up to S$400 only to receive blank sheets of paper in place of tickets.

Fans are being advised to join the Wacken Open Air 2019 official waiting list for tickets. It is expected that a number of spaces will come available over the course of the next ten days, due to ticket returns and advance payments not being made in time.

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