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It’s time to rethink our approach to buying gig tickets. Though 54 per cent of consumers consider social media a safe space for ticket purchases – or at least feel neutral about it – 17 per cent have had a negative experience when doing so.
Even more shockingly, one in eight consumers have fallen victim to scams when trying to buy tickets on social media, according to data released by Get Safe Online (the UK’s leading online safety advice resource).
Gen Z and millennial music fans are especially vulnerable to social media scams because they’re the age group (18 to 34) most likely to buy tickets through these platforms.
So, with this in mind, here are some simple ways to reduce the risk of getting scammed when you buy tickets online. And if these aren’t sufficiently secure for you, there’s always Get Safe’s online web checker here.
Watch out for strange and aggressive behaviour from sellers
It’s tough to trust your gut when buying online because you can’t read a seller’s non-verbal cues like body language and voice inflections. For this reason, it makes sense to view pushy and pressurising sales tactics from social media sellers as a potential red flag.
In February 2023, Chelsea fan Hannah O got scammed by an illegitimate seller she found on X (formerly Twitter). Hannah admits she was initially skeptical because the seller was offering three match tickets for £30 each – way below face value. So, she decided to proceed with caution and transfer money for just one of the tickets.
Despite receiving this payment, the seller failed to send Hannah a ticket. Instead, they claimed their tickets could only be dispatched as a set of three. After the seller became increasingly blunt in a bid to complete the sale, Hannah decided to ask for her money back. But at this point, the seller deleted their account and completely disappeared, leaving Hannah out of pocket.
Reflecting on what happened, Hannah says: “We played it as carefully as we could and we know we could have lost a lot more money. It showed the lack of protection and how easy it is to scam someone on social media.”
Don’t send money to strangers via bank transfer
This is a golden rule, partly because you don’t really know who you’re sending money to, and partly because your transfer may not be protected. Generally, credit card transactions come with a much higher level of protection than bank transfers.
In September 2023, Fred Again.. fan Carly J was desperate to catch the DJ-producer’s upcoming headline show at London’s Alexandra Palace. She thought she’d found a legit ticket on Facebook Marketplace, but got scammed after sending money to the dodgy seller via bank transfer.
“After I paid, the seller vanished and deactivated their account,” Carly recalls. ” I reached out to Facebook for help but got no response. The experience has really opened my eyes to how vulnerable we are without the protection of anti-fraud measures on social media.”
Check every little detail
Seriously, some scammers are sloppier than you might expect, especially when they’re running multiple ticket cons at once. For this reason, it always makes sense to look closely at the (supposed) ticket being offered.
Here are some questions to tick off – does the date and venue correspond with the tour details on the artist’s website? Does the price point seem realistic – not too expensive but also, not ridiculously cheap? And does the section number/row/seat actually exist at the venue in question? It’s easy to find venue plans online so checking this time takes no time, and it’ll do wonders for your peace of mind.
Buy through a regulated secondary marketplace instead
It sounds obvious, but the best way to avoid social media scammers is not to buy tickets from X, Facebook or Instagram at all. Some secondary ticketing websites offer greater security and protection, but you’ll still need to make sure you’re using a legit one.
You can do this by buying from a marketplace that offers a ticket guarantee and 24/7 customer support. You’ll also want to make sure that payment pages have “HTTPS” in the URL so you can enter your credit card details safely. Just remember: you wouldn’t buy a TV from a website that looks sketchy, so apply the same logic when purchasing gig tickets and do some research before making your decision.
Keep your receipts
This is important because if you do get scammed, you may still have a chance of getting your money back. Keep records of every payment and confirmation from the seller – a screenshot will do the job – and report a suspected scam immediately to your bank or Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for cyberscamming.
But above all, try not to beat yourself up about it. Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and it really can happen to anyone, even the most vigilant ticket buyers.
Note: viagogo is a safe, secure and regulated global online marketplace used by millions of people from more than 195+ countries and in 48 currencies to buy and sell tickets to live events, backed by the reassurance of the viagogo guarantee that will get you in the door or your money back. More info here and here.