Concert, event and attraction ticket scams

How the scam works

A jam-packed international events calendar means there’s plenty of opportunity for ticket scams.

In addition to the usual Grand Slams and Grand Prixes, Paris will host the Summer Games, while Germany will stage Euro 2024.

There’s also major concerts happening in the northern hemisphere summer. Taylor Swift’s Eras tour heads to the UK and Europe, while Billy Joel will play his final residency show at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden.

Ticket scams are a type of buying and selling scam, which are in the top five scams NAB customers report. More broadly, Australians lost $45m to these scams in 2023, according to the ACCC’s Scamwatch.

These scams often start on social media platforms, with criminals often responding to fans who post looking for tickets or even listing fake ones online themselves.

“During Taylor Swift’s Australian tour, there were instances of scammers hacking social media profiles and selling bogus tickets to the account owner’s friends, who aren’t aware someone else is controlling the account,” Mr Sheehan said.

He said ticket scams played on people’s fear of missing out.

“Customers might receive a proactive alert in the NAB app or Internet Banking if a payment showed signs it may be a ticket scam. These real time alerts are designed to get customers to stop and consider in the moment where they’re about to send money,” Mr Sheehan said.

Red flags to look for

• Tickets for an in-demand concert, event or attraction are for sale on social media.
• The tickets are heavily discounted or cheaper than the retail price.
• Social media profiles selling tickets are newly created, based overseas, have random usernames or furiously re-tweet.
• The seller claims they can prove tickets are legit, by sending you emails or screenshots.
• The seller wants you to pay via cryptocurrency or direct money transfer.

How to protect yourself

• Look for tickets through official resellers.
• If possible, pick up the phone and talk to the seller directly before sending money.
• Remember, if the price of tickets sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Review the seller’s profile in detail to see when it was created, how active they are and if they have any reviews.
• Be sceptical. Do a reverse image search and if you see the same image of tickets or proof of purchase on other websites, it’s probably a scam.
• Consider paying for tickets via credit card. Private sales don’t offer buyers any protection if the ticket isn’t real.