Beware Ticket Scams This Summer!
By GalTime Consumer Watchdog Mary Schwager
Ticket lust. You know the symptoms: Heart palpitations just thinking of seeing your favorite performer. Sweaty palms just picturing yourself catching that fly ball at a baseball game. You'll do just about anything and pay anything to see the event. The fact it's sold out just makes you want it more. Which of course, is exactly what con artists count on. Ticket lust makes them lots of money! Consumer review website sitejabber.com hears it all when it comes to scams and even the most savvy show and sports goers can fall for a scheme! Their expert Jeremy Gin shared some tips with Galtime on how not to get ripped off.
How widespread are ticket scams?
Most ticket scams go unreported, so putting an exact number on it is difficult. But I think it's fair to say ticket scams are a large and growing problem. Just in the last few months we've seen dozens of new scam sites reviewed by our community. More and more people are "Googling" the tickets they're seeking, but unfortunately the sites that appear in the results are not always trustworthy.
Could the most savvy of concert goers and game watchers get "taken"?
We're all susceptible to the tactics of these clever fraudsters. Many of these ticket scam sites look very professional, and it can be impossible for anyone to tell by themselves which sites are good and bad. Similarly, many folks on Craigslist and eBay also seem reputable but are not.
Really, they put on fake bar codes? Jeesh! How
The propagation of cheap and pirated versions of technology such as Photoshop and software that generates barcodes has made ticket counterfeiting much easier. This technology is also used to make fake IDs and other forged documents.
Related: Fabulous Freebies With NO STRINGS Attached (Really!)
What are the top five ways to protect yourself?
Buy from authorized ticket dealers when possible. TicketMaster may charge steep fees, but at least you'll get your tickets.
Do your research. If you can't find the tickets you need through an authorized dealer (sold out show, etc.) and you need to turn to another online ticket reseller, it's critical to research it thoroughly. If you're looking to buy from a website selling tickets, start by checking reviews on SiteJabber. It's also important to do things like inspecting the website for professionalism (if there are spelling or grammatical mistakes, that should be a red flag), and calling the business to talk to them (no phone number should also be a red flag). You can also call the event producer to ask if the particular site is authorized to sell tickets. If you're buying on eBay, check seller feedback, just as if you're buying on Craigslist, try to find someone trustworthy with whom you can meet face-to-face.
Pay by credit card when possible, preferably a credit card with strong anti-fraud protection that will help you if you get scammed. PayPay is another payment option-while generally not as good as paying with credit card, PayPal can be better than debit cards, checks, money wires and cash alone.
Check Stubhub for tickets. The SiteJabber community likes Stubhub because they do more to fight fraud than other sites that resell tickets.
Avoid tickets priced well below market. As usual, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it usually is. So if your Lady Gaga ticket is going for $200 on eBay and someone on Craigslist is selling it for $20, there is most likely something fishy going on.
How do you tell, and check, to see if a vendor is really "authorized"?
If it's a website, the official dealer of those tickets should be able to tell you if you give them a call.
And of course, just in case someone has been living under a rock for the past five years, why should you be careful buying tickets on Craigslist and Ebay?
Online fraud has grown and grown, and Craigslist and eBay are unfortunately peppered with fraudsters looking to make easy money and consumers looking for deals. Put those two elements together, and you've got scams just waiting to happen. It's not to say that eBay and Craigslist are not useful tools, because they are; they just must be used with more than a little caution.
Related: Smishing: The Latest Identity Theft Threat
How can they get away with it?
Scammers often go unpunished for two reasons: Under-reporting and difficulties in enforcement.
Reporting: For a host of reasons people who have been the victims of scams often don't report them. Some studies have suggested that only between 10- 25% of scams get reported. People sometimes feel embarrassed to have fallen victim (ironically if more people reported scams, others would feel less embarrassed because they would realize that we are all susceptible). Other victims just don't want to go through the trouble of filing a long police or FBI report because they feel it's not worth their time, and they'd rather just move on and not think about it. We always encourage victims to report their experiences to law enforcement as well as warn other consumers on SiteJabber. Even if you can't get your money back you can still help others.
Enforcement: An under-resourced cyber police force and FBI coupled with the growth of internet fraudsters have made enforcement of online ticket and other scams incredibly difficult. Even if US law enforcement had the resources to track the hundreds of thousands (or perhaps millions) or online scams, oftentimes the perpetrators are not based in the US or a country with which the US has an extradition treaty, so very little can be done. In part, this was the reason we started SiteJabber-to help prevent this kind of crime from happening because it is so difficult for law enforcement to handle.
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