By John North
Better Business Bureau
Tickets for summer events are beginning their debut. This also means scammers are amping up their excitement for potential victims. Don’t let scammers get in the way of your summer fun.
There have been over 7.3k reports of ticket fraud across the country with August 2022 recording the highest number of ticket fraud reports, totaling 764 – doubling since the start of 2022. Be vigilant when you’re purchasing tickets this year.
To make sure you’re getting an authentic ticket, Better Business Bureau offers the following tips:
Do your research. Look at websites and online reviews.
Get recommendations from family and friends regarding where they successfully purchased tickets.
Be sure the company has legitimate contact information, such as phone number and email address.
Don’t fall for too good to be true prices. A festival will not offer tickets at extremely low prices without losing money. If prices are lower than elsewhere, it’s likely a scam.
Pay with a credit card so you can dispute the charges if there are problems. Be wary of online sellers that don’t accept credit cards.
Look for websites with HTTPS in the URL and have a lock symbol on the address bar.
Don’t be fooled by screenshots/confirmation emails which scammers can easily create to lure you into a false sense of security.
Don’t give personal information including your bank details and addresses to potential scammers.
Avoid tickets sold on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and other free online listings.
Avoid ticket sellers that joined the social medium platform that day and/or hardly post. Likewise, be wary if the posts are only about the alleged tickets being sold.
Be careful of phishing emails pretending to sell cheap tickets. The scammer may just want to steal your credit card details and login credentials.
Be on the lookout for unusual formatting, incorrect fonts, poor grammar and spelling errors as they may indicate a scam.
Refuse to be rushed into deciding which is a red flag.
Don’t wire money. It’s like sending cash.
If you believe you’re a victim of ticket fraud, report it to BBB.org/scamtracker or ftc.gov/complaint. BBB can also help. Contact the BBB for a list of BBB Accredited Businesses and Business Profiles on ones you may be considering. Visit BBB.org or call (937) 222-5825 or (800) 776-5301.
