Key takeaways
- Navigate the ticket resale market with caution and assume unregulated platforms and peer-to-peer marketplaces come with higher risks
- Expect ticket scammers where demand is high. Major concerts and sporting events can attract fraudsters who exploit urgency, limited supply, and dedicated fandoms
- Understand common ticket fraud tactics. Watch for fake tickets (such as altered images), fake ticketing websites set up by scammers, duplicate sales of the same valid tickets, and hacked social accounts that scammers use to pitch fake tickets to an individual’s contacts.
Picture this: you're in your manifestation era praying for tickets to the biggest concert or sporting event to ever pass through your city.
You've spent countless hours scouring resale and buy/sell websites for tickets. Finally, you find the one: a not-too-expensive pair of tickets for the final show on the globetrotting tour.
As you aggressively click to add the tickets to your cart, alarm bells start ringing in your head. But you silence them. "They're mine," you think, while inputting your credit card information.
You press "buy" and ping, it's a text message from your bank notifying you of potential suspicious activity on your card. The alarm bells ring a little louder, but you shush them by telling yourself you're just interacting with a new, unfamiliar vendor. You approve the transaction and then… crickets.
No tickets land in your inbox. Nothing gets transferred to your ticketing platform account either. The alarm bells crescendo and finally, you listen. You've been scammed.
Bad actors often take advantage of the ticket demand around major concerts and sporting events, says the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in its recent fraud alert related to a global soccer event.
“Fraudsters often exploit emotional moments and can create a sense of urgency, and fans searching for sold‑out concert or sporting event tickets can be especially vulnerable,” said Kevin Wicks, Group Manager, TD Fraud Education.
“When buying tickets, particularly through resale channels, Canadians should stick to basic fraud‑prevention habits and watch for red flags, like deals that seem too-good-to-be-true, unfamiliar websites, or requests for unusual forms of payment."
What is ticket fraud?
Ticket scams usually happen when fraudsters advertise and sell fake, duplicate or invalid tickets.
Fraudsters prey on fans' desire for tickets to concerts, sporting events and more. Since tickets can sell out quickly, many fans turn to the resale market — including verified resale websites, online marketplaces, and social media — for access to once-in-a-lifetime events.
While many of the resellers on these platforms operate in good faith, bad actors are always lurking, too.
Here are what some common ticket scams look like:
- Fake tickets: Scammers might post tickets for sale on buy/sell websites or social media marketplaces with images that look real, but may be altered or stolen from legitimate posts
- Fake websites: Scammers might go as far as creating fake websites to sell fake tickets
- Duplicate tickets: Scammers might sell the same legitimate ticket multiple times to different buyers. It can be difficult to spot duplicate tickets until you're denied entry into an event. Rickets sent via mobile transfer on an official ticketing platform are often less risky. Some red flags could include a photo or screenshot of a ticket instead of a mobile transfer
- Social media: Scammers might hack into someone's social media accounts and message their entire contact list selling fake tickets, hoping someone will bite
How to buy resale tickets more safely
Sometimes, if you really want to see a show or a big game, the resale market is the only option.
It's worth noting that after the Ontario government passed its budget bill in April, tickets can no longer be resold above face value in the province.
While these rules apply to both individuals and resale platforms, some experts fear that these new rules will lead scalpers and fans to unregulated platforms and online marketplaces — places where fraud and scams can flourish.
No matter where you're looking for resale tickets, it can be helpful to learn about the red flags to watch out for as you navigate these online spaces.
Resale ticket red flags
- Unfamiliar websites: Do your research before making a purchase, especially about websites that are unfamiliar to you. This could include searching the company's name to see if it has any negative reviews or bad customer feedback
- Too-good-to-be-true offers: A discounted ticket to an otherwise sold-out or expensive show can be suspect
- Unusual payment method: Exercise extreme caution if a seller asks you to pay via e-transfer, cash, or wire transfer. Credit card or debit card payments through a secure e-commerce site (a site familiar to you) are preferred methods of payments
While scams can happen on legitimate resale websites, purchases via this platform usually come with some sort of buyer protection should an individual seller fail to deliver your tickets.
"No matter what you're shopping for, it's important to keep these red flags in mind. I'd also recommend all TD clients keep their current mobile number on file with the Bank. That way they can receive TD Fraud Alerts if we notice suspicious activity on their TD Credit Cards or TD Access Cards," says Wicks.
If you’re not sure whether we have your current mobile number, you can check by signing in to EasyWeb, TD Mobile App, by calling the number on the back of your TD Access Card, or visiting your local branch.
If you think you've fallen for a fraud or scam, contact your financial institution, and report the incident to your local police department and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
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