It seems like you can't go anywhere these days without hearing about the latest online scam doing the rounds.

Well, brace yourself because new figures have revealed that Aussies have been fleeced out of a whopping $36 million this year from ticket and online marketplace scams!

These scams typically work by exploiting people's fear of missing out on securing tickets to popular events and concerts.

With major acts like Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift touring Australia soon, scammers know music fans will be desperate to get their hands on tickets by any means necessary.

Ticket and marketplace scams are forms of goods and services scams, which are estimated to have cost Australians $36 million in 2023. Credit: Unsplash.

So, how do they fool their unsuspecting victims out of their hard-earned cash?

Ticket scammers set up convincing fake ticket sale websites or post as individuals on platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree.

Despite having no actual tickets to sell, they advertise in-demand seats at popular shows.

Once money is exchanged, the scammer disappears along with your cash. Some even go so far as to hack people's social media accounts to reach their friends under the guise of a trusted contact selling genuine tickets.

One example is the case of a mum named Karen, who fell victim to a Taylor Swift ticket scam on Facebook. She lost $1800 in the incident.

Karen saw a post on a local Facebook group that offered Taylor Swift tickets. The seller appeared to be a mutual friend, as they had many friends in common with Karen. She even double-checked with her friends, who vouched for the legitimacy of the seller's Facebook page.

Feeling confident, Karen paid $400 per ticket to a bank account with the same name as the Facebook profile. She received a screenshot showing a genuine Ticketek account, indicating the tickets were being transferred to her.

However, the seller suddenly claimed an extra $100 per ticket was needed for a re-issuing fee. After Karen paid this additional amount, the seller suddenly dropped all communication.

‘While many customers ultimately complete their payment after receiving an alert, we know they are stopping and pausing because we see around $220,000 worth of payments abandoned daily,’ said Laura Hartley, the Security Advisory and Awareness Manager at NAB.

According to her, ticket scammers are becoming more clever.

‘We're hearing about criminals hacking social media profiles and selling bogus concert tickets to the account owner's friends, who aren't aware someone else is controlling the account,’ she said.

Even if the seller appears to be a legitimate friend, Hartley suggested taking the extra step of directly contacting them by phone before sending any money.

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Earlier this year, NAB introduced proactive alerts in its digital banking services to help Australians spot potential ticket scams. These alerts were initially launched in March 2023 and have now been expanded to specifically target ticket and marketplace scams.

NAB is also running new advertisements to caution Australians about ticket scams on various platforms like Spotify, Gumtree, and Facebook Marketplace. If customers believe they've been scammed, they are advised to get in touch with their bank right away for help.

Key Takeaways

• Ticket and online marketplace scams have cost Australians $36m in 2023, according to a security expert.
• The scams often play on people's fear of missing out, with scammers responding to fans on social media looking for tickets.
• Laura Hartley, the Security Advisory and Awareness Manager at NAB, said ticket scammers are becoming more sophisticated, often hacking social media accounts to sell fake concert tickets to the account owner's friends.
• Earlier this year, NAB released proactive alert technology that warns customers if their transaction appears suspicious or out of character and has recently redirected it to target ticket and marketplace sale transactions.

We hope you found this article informative and helpful, members! Remember, the key is staying savvy and doing your research before paying with your hard-earned money.

Do you have other tips and advice to avoid these kinds of situations? Let us know in the comments below.

 

[David567]

Facebook has many ticket for sale. I'm guessing most of those are fake. When will people learn.

 

[magpie1]

Do your due diligence when buying tickets from these sites.....you only get one chance at this before you could lose your hard earned money. Think before you buy.