Promoters trial new gig ticket system to combat fraud

One of the UK's largest concert organisers has praised the police for finally taking ticket fraud seriously.

Officers have asked Live Nation and Festival Republic to trial a new system and send out some tickets sooner.

It's hoped by sending out tickets at the point of purchase, it'll be easier to track and convict rogue sellers.

Organisers often wait until just before a gig to release the tickets so there's less opportunity for counterfeiting but officers struggle to get convictions.

John Probyn, chief operating officer at Live Nation, told Newsbeat it was great police were being proactive.

"The police came to us with this idea. It's fantastic. Five years ago, if you went to the police they wouldn't want to know.

"I know the 2012 Olympics has had an impact on this but it's great everybody is now working together to combat this."

Why change?

Trials of the new system are beginning with the Wireless festival in London's Hyde Park.

There are a number of reasons why sending out gig tickets late proves problematic for police.

Firstly, dodgy sites can be taken offline quickly, leaving no trace.

If tickets are sent out weeks before the gig, it offers little or no time for the police to investigate what's happened to the site.

Secondly, when police do track down rogue sellers, they've used the late release of tickets as an excuse.

They claim it's the promoters' fault that no tickets have made their way to customers.

Therefore, it's hard to prove these sites and sellers never had the tickets in the first place.

Instead, it's put down to bad business.

Police will now wait to see if the new system improves their chance of convicting fraudsters.

'Tickets never came'

Eighteen-year-old Jade Ramscar from Northamptonshire knows what it's like to be conned.

She wanted to get tickets for a Rihanna concert last year through her mobile.

Jade Ramscar lost out when she tried to buy gig tickets last year

"I tried to book via a text," she said. "It diverted me to a different website that I hadn't seen before.

"I didn't think anything of it though and booked them anyway.

"They were £50 each and I bought two. But the site wasn't right and the tickets never came. The number on the site was invalid and I didn't get my money back.

"I was angry. It was meant to be my best friend's birthday present."

Speaking before a gig in Birmingham, singer Katy B agreed it was important ticket fraud was tackled.

She said: "When someone books a ticket to see an artist it obviously means a lot to them. Music is such a big part of your identity.

"To be really looking forward to seeing that person and then for someone to say, 'Your tickets are fake' it must be a really gutting experience."

There are concerns the marketplace could once again become flooded with tickets that are open to counterfeiting.

John Probyn adds that despite a change to ticket distribution, fraudsters are always one step ahead.

He said: "It doesn't matter what we do, they (the fraudsters) already know what they're doing next. It's just about trying as many different things as possible."