Summer and fall are popular seasons for concerts and sporting events, including high-profile attractions that sell out quickly. Scammers know that in the rush to secure tickets, people may let their guard down. Here are some tips to avoid falling victim to ticket scams:
- Be skeptical of offers that seem too good to be true. Sellers on online marketplaces might offer tickets at face value (or below) for events that are sold out or in high demand, but these offers could be scams. Some may provide dubious explanations for why they need to sell tickets quickly – falsely claiming, for example, that they have a medical emergency or an overseas military assignment.
- Review the venue’s seating chart. One way to check whether the tickets are valid is to familiarize yourself with the venue’s seating chart. If the seller is offering a seat in a row number not listed on the chart, it’s likely a scam.
- Ask for the original ticket confirmation. When buying from an individual who purchased the tickets through an online ticket seller, ask the person to send you the confirmation email sent by the original seller. Don’t send any money until you verify that the tickets are real.
- Be cautious when dealing with third-party sellers. To protect yourself, deal with reputable businesses instead of third-party individuals unaffiliated with an event. Sophisticated but illegitimate websites can easily impersonate logos. Before providing any payment or personal information, research a seller’s reputation, especially that of an individual seller. Search the seller’s name, username, email address, phone number and other details for information. Even if you find no negative information, don’t assume that the seller is trustworthy. Some con artists change their names regularly.
- Think twice if the seller contacts you first. If someone you do not know contacts you out of the blue offering tickets to a sold-out sporting event or concert, it might be a scam.
- Be cautious when buying on social media. Sellers might market to their friends on social media but be sure you’re actually buying from a known friend. Accounts can get hacked, and scammers sometimes pose as trusted friends to sell their tickets; once you send the money, the tickets don’t arrive. Contact your friend in another way – call or text – to see if the offer is legitimate before sending money.
- Be wary of sellers who change the requested form of payment. Con artists often request payment methods that are difficult to trace or recover, such as wire transfers, cash or gift cards. If you’re using a mobile wallet or peer-to-peer payment service such as Venmo or Zelle, be sure that you understand the protections the service provides (and doesn’t provide) before making a transaction. If buying from a ticket resale site, understand the protections that it offers, too.
- Consider paying with a credit card. If a problem arises, you generally have greater protections and the ability to dispute charges with a credit card. The same isn’t true for some other payment methods.
Consumers who believe they have been defrauded should immediately report the details and contact the company they used to make the payment. Ohioans can report scams to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at
www.OhioProtects.org or by calling 800-282-0515.