With technological advances, purchasing tickets for shows has become more accessible, but it has also opened the door to scammers.
Despite the efforts of companies like Ticketmaster and StubHub to prevent scams, criminals always find new ways to deceive consumers, according to Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, Head of the Research Laboratory at ESET Latin America, a cybersecurity company.
The firm warns about the various ways in which scammers take advantage of ticket sales platforms and gives some recommendations to avoid fraud.
Read: After hacking, Ticketmaster says cyberthieves cannot use consumer data in Mexico
Top Ticketmaster Scams
- Similar websites. Criminals create fake sites that imitate this company or its official partners using recognizable logos and brands. Although they may appear legitimate, they are often hosted on fake domains.
- Fake entries. When a show sells out on the official site, scammers may offer fake tickets on platforms like Facebook Marketplace or resale sites. They often post photos of real-looking tickets at very low prices. They insist that payment be made through unsecured methods, such as bank transfers or gift cards, and promise delivery at the event, even though the tickets do not exist.
- Fake customer service numbers. Scammers also create websites that appear to offer telephone customer support. The numbers are optimized to appear in the first search results. Sometimes they contact victims directly through emails or calls, posing as customer service representatives and trying to obtain personal or financial information.
- Duplicate entries/duplicate listings. Scammers look for resellers who have posted photos of their tickets and replicate those ads, selling multiple copies of the same ticket. Only the buyer who arrives at the event location first will be able to enter, while the others will be left outside.
- Account theft. Although not a scam per se, account theft can be a result of falling for any of the above tactics. Fraudsters can gain access to accounts if keys are shared or if users reuse passwords that have already been compromised.
How to avoid scams?
- Buy tickets only from official sources. According to Santander, 67% of ticket scam victims claim to have been deceived on social media.
- Always check the URL when visiting Ticketmaster or entering the site directly, rather than clicking on links in emails.
- Avoid paying by bank transfer, gift card or instant transfer applications such as Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, etc.
- Stay away from social media sellers with no bio details, few followers, and who tend to only post about ticket sales.
- Do not buy tickets advertised with a photo showing the barcode or QR code: it is likely that a scammer copied it.
- Never publish photos of the entrance.
- Be wary of unsolicited emails about tickets and be on the lookout for suspicious senders.
- Avoid buying printed tickets; mobile options are much harder to replicate.
- Protect your account from takeover attempts by enabling two-factor authentication and using a strong, unique password or passphrase (saved in a password manager).
Read: Ticketmaster offers free dark web monitoring after hack
If you have been a victim of a scam, ESET recommends contacting Ticketmaster or the resale site.
If the entries are duplicates, there is a possibility that they will reissue the original ones and invalidate the fake ones.
He also recommends filing a police report, which may be necessary if you want the bank to refund the money. In addition, it suggests monitoring your bank balance and online accounts, in case the data is being used for identity theft.
In the event that the account is stolen, the passwords of any other accounts that share the same login details must be changed.
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