Dosh dilemma: Jess’s warning to festivalgoers – “don’t fall for fake tickets”

Festival season is approaching and Jess wanted to share her story.

The 19-year-old had been trying for weeks to get tickets to a sold-out summer festival.

Every official site she checked said the same thing:

“No tickets available”.

So, when she spotted a post on social media that said: “2 tickets for sale, can’t go anymore. Face value. Message me!” it felt like her lucky day.

The seller seemed genuine. The messages were friendly, the story was believable, and they even sent a screenshot of the tickets.

The seller said there were other people interested and asked for a quick bank transfer to “secure them”. Not wanting to miss out, Jess sent £120.

The tickets arrived as a PDF shortly after.

Relieved, she turned up at the festival with her friend, only to be stopped at the gate.

The tickets had already been used.

Jess had fallen victim to a ticket scam.

Scammers often:

• sell the same ticket to multiple people
• send fake or duplicated PDFs
• disappear as soon as payment is made

And it’s more common than you might think. A survey carried out by McAfee, shows four in five football fans in the UK worry about ticket scams, yet nearly a third would still risk buying from unofficial sellers.

So, what went wrong for Jess?

Jess’s experience highlights a few common pitfalls:

• she bought the tickets via social media
• she paid by bank transfer, where there’s no protection
• she relied on screenshots as proof
• there was pressure to act quickly

Scammers are experts at creating urgency and trust, quickly.

Unfortunately, Jess learnt the hard way, but there are steps you can take to help protect yourself.

Smart ways to avoid ticket scams

Be wary of social media sellers

Buying tickets through social media is risky.

Watch out for:

• brand new accounts
• few followers or activity
• copied or stock profile images

Even if it’s someone you ‘know’, their account could be hacked. Always double-check through another method like a call or message.

Stick to official ticket sellers

Always buy from the event’s official ticket partner.  If it’s sold out, use official resale platforms like fan-to-fan services.

These:

• cap prices at face value  
• guarantee valid tickets

Avoid resale marketplaces where prices, and risks, are higher.

Be suspicious of ticket competitions

“Win 2 tickets to a sold-out show!” posts are everywhere, but many are scams.

Red flags include:

• being asked for payment or personal details
• recently created websites or accounts
• pages pretending to be well-known brands

Only enter competitions run on official websites or verified accounts.

Never pay by bank transfer

Walk away if a seller insists on:

• bank transfer
• cryptocurrency
• ‘friends and family’ payments

Safer options include:

• credit cards, as you have section 75 protection
• debit cards come with chargeback options
• secure PayPal payments and not ‘friends and family’

Check the details carefully

Before buying, ask yourself:

• is the price realistic?
• is the seller offering a PDF ticket?
• is resale even allowed for this event?

If it feels too good to be true, it probably is.

What to do if you’ve been scammed

• if you bought a ticket from a ticketing platform, inform them immediately
• if you’ve lost money to a scammer, call your bank  using the number on the back of your card.
• report the scam to Report Fraud