Norfolk Police reveal nearly 70 residents were victims of ticket fraud last year

Festival and concert-goers looking to get last-minute tickets to this summer’s top events have been urged to be on their guard against fraudulent sellers.

Action Fraud, a national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, has launched a ticket fraud awareness campaign, warning people to be alert to fraudsters trying to catch out people planning for popular and sold-out events.

Norfolk Police has revealed that last year, 68 people in the county reported they had been a victim of ticket fraud, with a total of £15,466.19 lost between them. This equates to an average loss of £227 per victim.

The warning comes ahead of the Glastonbury Festival ticket resale and before top summer events, such as Taylor Swift’s sell-out Eras tour.

Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, said: “Too many people are losing out to fraudulent activity or genuine looking phishing messages.

“Make sure you don’t get ticked off – recognise the signs of ticket fraud before getting caught out.

“Remember to be wary of unsolicited messages offering deals too good to be true.”

Of the reports made to Action Fraud last year, 34% of reports mentioned concert tickets, 29% mentioned travel, and 18% mentioned sporting events.

Police have offered the following advice to protect yourself from ticket fraud:

- Only buy tickets from the venue’s box office, the promoter, an official agent, or a well-known and reputable ticket exchange site.

- Avoid paying for tickets by bank transfer, especially if buying from someone unknown. Credit card or payment services such as PayPal give you a better chance of recovering the money if you become a victim of fraud.

- The password you use for your email account, as well as any other accounts you use to purchase tickets, should be different from all your other passwords. Use three random words to create a strong and memorable password.

- Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts, or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on tickets.

- Is the vendor a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR)? If they are, the company has signed up to their strict governing standards.

Fraudsters often create fake ticket retail companies.

Victims are lured in using social media or phishing emails with offers of the chance to buy tickets to a popular event but instead give away their personal information or money, with no tickets received in return.

Phishing messages often look real, but instead will either steal your information or divert you to malicious websites that can infect your computer with malware.

If you feel at all suspicious, report the email to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) at report@phishing.gov.uk.

For more advice on how to stay secure online, visit cyberaware.gov.uk.

If you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, report it at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Got a story? Email molly.nicholas@iliffepublishing.co.uk