With summer festivals and events on the horizon, along with some major stadium concerts in the UK this year, it’s easy to look for a bargain and not see the scam before your eyes.
At MoneyMagpie, we know how important it is to make sure you’re not losing money to fraudsters, so we have this top list on how to avoid ticket scams this summer.
Why Scams Are Easy to Miss
When there’s an event with limited tickets and you have limited funds for your entertainment plans, it’s very easy to look for the best way to save money on tickets. This makes it easy for scammers to take advantage of you.
What makes it worse is demand pricing on ticket websites. When an event becomes popular (like the upcoming Taylor Swift tour), ticket retailers will boost the price of tickets that are in high demand. You might add your £150 tickets to the basket only to find that by the time you check out, they’re now £300, because so many other people want them. This is, unfortunately, a legal practice – but it means scammers can easily take advantage of disappointed people who can’t afford these last-minute price hikes.
Scam Alert: The Last-Minute Ditch
A common scam for event tickets is a last-minute sale to join someone as their ‘plus one’ or buy their tickets on the day of the event. They’ll meet you at the venue, they say, but you need to transfer the ticket price to them first, so they know you’re serious – or they’ll give it to someone else to buy.
The same person will do this to several people, often without even having a ticket for the event in the first place, and – of course, never meet at the venue or send the ticket to you.
Scam Alert: Non-Transferable Tickets
As venues are wise to ticket touts mass-buying tickets then reselling them, many are now non-transferable and can only be used by the person buying them. If you buy a ticket that is only meant for the named person, you won’t be given entry on arrival, even if you can prove that you bought the ticket second-hand.
Always use a specified resale website to buy second-hand tickets, as this gives you buyer protection. Avoid buying tickets on sites like Facebook Marketplace or NextDoor, or from your friend’s friend of a friend down the pub.
Scam Alert: Single Use QR Codes
Along the same lines as non-transferable tickets, some operate a single use QR code – which means someone can, legally, resell them instead of having to sell them back to the original retailer or venue. However, a common scam with tickets like this is to run auctions on websites like eBay, with images of the tickets.
The images may have been photoshopped, they may be genuine tickets. But then this person sends copies of the same ticket to several people – meaning only one can use it for entry and several people are left disappointed at the venue entrance.
Scam Alert: Seats All Over the Place
This ticket scam is particularly evident when it comes to theatres or venues with numbered seating. Someone will block-buy all of the single seats for a performance, usually at a cut rate both for a bulk order and because single seats are cheaper. They will then sell you a discounted ‘group’ ticket for the show, but when you get the tickets or arrive at the venue, you’ll find your seats scattered all over the place.
If you want to buy a group of tickets, it is always worth contacting the venue directly as they will be able to offer you discounts and ensure your access needs are met at the same time, too.
Scam Alert: Changing the Ticket Type
Another common seating scam is to photoshop a ticket for an online sale that promises some of the best seats in the house at a huge discount – usually because the seller claims they have had to cancel last-minute. But when you get the ticket, it’ll be for one of the cheap seats or, worse, a standing-only ticket.
How to Avoid Ticket Scams
There are a few key ways to avoid getting scammed and losing money trying to see your favourite entertainers or theatre shows this summer.
First, always check the verified ticket sites first. We don’t agree with demand pricing that they use, but you are covered by consumer protections such as if the event is cancelled. Ticketmaster, See Tickets, LiveNation, and ATG Tickets are common places to find event tickets.
Second, if you have the chance to buy a second-hand ticket, first of all check the original ticket terms and conditions. These will be available on the venue or ticket seller website. It will be clear whether the ticket is named-use or single-use only, and this can help you avoid being scammed by someone who tries to sell the same ticket to several people.
Third, use legitimate reseller sites like ViaGoGo and TicketSwap, which cap the maximum price above the ticket value so you’re not paying a scammer hundreds of pounds more than the ticket is worth. They also offer similar consumer protections as if you were buying the original ticket.
Finally, if you’re ever in doubt, go straight to the venue website and book tickets with them directly. You might not save money doing this but you will avoid being scammed trying to get a ticket to your long-awaited concert or theatre production.
The high demand for event tickets means it’s tough to save money on concert tickets, so the biggest rule to follow is this: if a ticket price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always double-check information on a venue’s website to verify ticket information, use legitimate ticket retailers, and never pay cash for a second-hand ticket.
