Police issue ticket scam warning ahead of summer

Police say ticket scams are particularly prevalent in the summer months

People in Wiltshire are being warned to be aware of ticket selling scams after more than £100,000 was lost to fraudsters in the county last year.

Wiltshire Police is urging people planning to be aware when buying tickets for concerts or events this summer - particularly in the months of June and July, when the most reports of fraud took place in 2024.

Advice from Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre, includes paying for tickets by credit card, being cautious of unrealistically good deals, and only purchasing from verified ticket websites.

Countrywide, members of the public lost £9.7m to ticket scammers in 2024.

Ticket fraud reports to Wiltshire Police peaked in June and July in 2024

Jim Winters, the director of economic crime at Swindon-based Nationwide said concert-goers needed to be proactive in reducing the risks.

He said the building society carried out research which "staggeringly" revealed one in four people have fallen victim to ticket scams, and around about 52% of people surveyed would consider buying from questionable sources just to get their hands on desirable tickets.

He said people lost about £82 on average and warned against deals that seemed "too good to be true" and websites without secure payment services.

Advice from Action Fraud includes:

• Only buy tickets from the venue's box office, official promoter/agent, or a verified ticket website.

• Use a credit card to purchase tickets and avoid paying for tickets by bank transfer, especially if buying from someone unknown.

• Ensure the password you use for your email account, as well as any other accounts you use to purchase tickets, is different from all your other passwords.

• Be cautious of unsolicited emails, texts, or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on tickets.

• Checking if the vendor is a member of The Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (Star). If they are, the company has signed up to their strict governing standards.

People can report suspicious emails to Action Fraud by forwarding them to [e-mail].