‘But it all looks very, very legitimate’: But was this highly promoted event a scam?
- Replies 5
What seemed like an exciting new event quickly turned into a perplexing situation for ticket holders.
What was marketed as a memorable night of fun and tradition has left many questioning the legitimacy of the entire affair.
As more details emerge, the controversy surrounding the festival raises important concerns for the public.
Residents of Canberra spent hundreds of dollars on tickets for a Water Lantern Festival, only to learn that the event had not been approved by the National Capital Authority (NCA).
The event, promoted by the company Water Lantern Festival, involved writing on flameless paper lanterns and floating them on water during an evening event.
Despite heavy advertising on social media, the festival, which was scheduled for March, failed to secure proper approval.
Anna Franco purchased four adult tickets for $150, after seeing an enticing advertisement on social media.
She explained: ‘I was looking at social media and I saw this beautiful ad for the festival, and it looked really quite enticing. It said something like "tickets will sell out!"’
Ms Franco admitted that she should have been cautious when she had to modify her bank settings for an overseas transaction to complete the ticket purchase.
She continued: ‘But it all looks very, very legitimate,’ referring to the event’s official-looking website.
Franco also noted that the company’s website featured a small mention that the event was being held ‘in partnership with the National Capital Authority,’ and included the Australian government emblem, which added to its credibility.
The NCA clarified that it had not approved the festival and instructed the organisers to remove any reference to the event and its logo from online platforms.
A statement from the NCA read: ‘The National Capital Authority has written to the organiser of the proposed Water Lantern Festival to confirm that the NCA will not provide approval for the event given the lack of information provided by the organiser and instructing them to remove reference to the event—and use of our name and logo—from all online platforms.’
The NCA further emphasised that it had been alerted to the unauthorised use of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms on the Water Lantern Festival website.
The NCA also pointed out that using the emblem without permission could violate consumer, trademark, and criminal laws.
A spokesperson for the company behind the Water Lantern Festival, Dallin Watts, said, ‘We are working with local authorities to ensure compliance,’ though this claim had not been confirmed by the NCA.
Parul, who purchased two tickets for herself and her sister, spent $111 on the event, which appeared legitimate due to the active website and social media presence.
She recalled: ‘The website looks nice with all the photos … and I even read all the FAQs.’
However, Parul began to feel wary when she noticed that other websites, typically used to advertise local events, were silent about the festival.
She asked: ‘How come nobody raised any question about it?’ after noticing the absence of other mentions.
More than 200 people had registered to attend the Canberra event according to the Water Lantern Festival's Facebook page.
The company had even incentivised ticket purchases by offering discounts to those who shared the event on social media.
However, those who bought tickets had to agree to a strict set of terms and conditions, which included waiving the right to a refund under any circumstances.
‘I understand that my entry fee is non-refundable under any circumstances,’ the agreement stated in all caps, emphasising the no-refund policy.
Ms Franco, who had reported the incident to her bank, remained torn, admitting: ‘I feel like I’m educated, I don’t normally go into anything that’s a scam, I don’t hand out my details for anything.’
She also expressed concern, saying: ‘So if this really is a scam, it needs to just be shut down, because people are vulnerable.’
Meanwhile, a parliamentary committee met earlier this week to discuss new laws aimed at holding telecommunications and social media companies accountable for facilitating scams on their platforms.
In a previous story, authorities urged the public to be wary of Lantern Festival Australia after growing concerns over the legitimacy of the event.
It looks like this scam is not limited to Canberra only.
To catch up on the details, read the full story here.
The draft Scam Prevention Framework Bill would allow scam victims to seek compensation from digital platforms that fail to implement adequate protections.
How can we better protect ourselves from events that appear too good to be true? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
What was marketed as a memorable night of fun and tradition has left many questioning the legitimacy of the entire affair.
As more details emerge, the controversy surrounding the festival raises important concerns for the public.
Residents of Canberra spent hundreds of dollars on tickets for a Water Lantern Festival, only to learn that the event had not been approved by the National Capital Authority (NCA).
The event, promoted by the company Water Lantern Festival, involved writing on flameless paper lanterns and floating them on water during an evening event.
Despite heavy advertising on social media, the festival, which was scheduled for March, failed to secure proper approval.
Anna Franco purchased four adult tickets for $150, after seeing an enticing advertisement on social media.
She explained: ‘I was looking at social media and I saw this beautiful ad for the festival, and it looked really quite enticing. It said something like "tickets will sell out!"’
Ms Franco admitted that she should have been cautious when she had to modify her bank settings for an overseas transaction to complete the ticket purchase.
She continued: ‘But it all looks very, very legitimate,’ referring to the event’s official-looking website.
Franco also noted that the company’s website featured a small mention that the event was being held ‘in partnership with the National Capital Authority,’ and included the Australian government emblem, which added to its credibility.
The NCA clarified that it had not approved the festival and instructed the organisers to remove any reference to the event and its logo from online platforms.
A statement from the NCA read: ‘The National Capital Authority has written to the organiser of the proposed Water Lantern Festival to confirm that the NCA will not provide approval for the event given the lack of information provided by the organiser and instructing them to remove reference to the event—and use of our name and logo—from all online platforms.’
The NCA further emphasised that it had been alerted to the unauthorised use of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms on the Water Lantern Festival website.
The NCA also pointed out that using the emblem without permission could violate consumer, trademark, and criminal laws.
A spokesperson for the company behind the Water Lantern Festival, Dallin Watts, said, ‘We are working with local authorities to ensure compliance,’ though this claim had not been confirmed by the NCA.
Parul, who purchased two tickets for herself and her sister, spent $111 on the event, which appeared legitimate due to the active website and social media presence.
She recalled: ‘The website looks nice with all the photos … and I even read all the FAQs.’
However, Parul began to feel wary when she noticed that other websites, typically used to advertise local events, were silent about the festival.
She asked: ‘How come nobody raised any question about it?’ after noticing the absence of other mentions.
More than 200 people had registered to attend the Canberra event according to the Water Lantern Festival's Facebook page.
The company had even incentivised ticket purchases by offering discounts to those who shared the event on social media.
However, those who bought tickets had to agree to a strict set of terms and conditions, which included waiving the right to a refund under any circumstances.
‘I understand that my entry fee is non-refundable under any circumstances,’ the agreement stated in all caps, emphasising the no-refund policy.
Ms Franco, who had reported the incident to her bank, remained torn, admitting: ‘I feel like I’m educated, I don’t normally go into anything that’s a scam, I don’t hand out my details for anything.’
She also expressed concern, saying: ‘So if this really is a scam, it needs to just be shut down, because people are vulnerable.’
Meanwhile, a parliamentary committee met earlier this week to discuss new laws aimed at holding telecommunications and social media companies accountable for facilitating scams on their platforms.
In a previous story, authorities urged the public to be wary of Lantern Festival Australia after growing concerns over the legitimacy of the event.
It looks like this scam is not limited to Canberra only.
To catch up on the details, read the full story here.
The draft Scam Prevention Framework Bill would allow scam victims to seek compensation from digital platforms that fail to implement adequate protections.
How can we better protect ourselves from events that appear too good to be true? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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