Each year, thousands of people across the UK buy fake or non-existent tickets to festivals, gigs, and sports events. Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, is urging residents to avoid buying event tickets from potentially unreliable sources.

Purchasing tickets online to any event can be difficult, with popular bands, festivals and sports games selling out quickly. Many people then turn to unofficial sites, such as social media marketplaces or third-party sites, to try and get cheap tickets. However, these offers often result in fraud.

These fraudsters tell the buyer that they will send over the tickets as soon as they receive payment. After the tickets fail to appear, victims of ticket fraud will often try to contact the ‘seller’, only to find out their online profile has been deleted.

Tips to avoid falling victim to ticket fraud, include:

• Only buy tickets from official ticket sites and reputable ticket exchange platforms.
• Check any return and refund policies from the seller.
• Check that the page you are buying from is genuine – the address bar should include ‘https’ and an icon of a locked padlock.
• If you are determined to buy the ticket, pay by credit card for additional protection.

Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, said: “We all enjoy going to a live event, whether it’s our favourite band, a festival or a sporting event. However, with tickets often selling out quickly, many of us will turn to unofficial sellers – no matter the cost.

“Online criminals are using this to their advantage, luring in unsuspecting victims to pay for a ticket that does not exist.

“It is extremely important that we all use official seller sites and resell sites to avoid being scammed.

“If you do decide to risk the purchase, avoid paying by debit card as you will more than likely not get a refund if the sale is false.

“Anyone can fall victim to an online fraud, no matter how tech-savvy we are. However, we can learn to spot the signs of online crime.

“I commission Get Safe Online in Cumbria to help residents learn more about how to protect themselves on the internet. I would urge everyone to visit their website to learn about ticket fraud and much more – www.getsafeonline.org.

“If you have been a victim of ticket fraud, please report it to action fraud on 0300 123 2040.”