More Complaints About
Online Fraud

The number of people complaining about online ticket fraud has increased, according to the UK’s national fraud and Internet crime reporting centre.

There are fears the fraud will continue to grow as Operation Podium, which was set up to combat fraudsters for the Olympics, is due to close at the end of the year.

Ticketmaster UK managing director Chris Edmonds told BBC News that the closure is “a disappointment.”

AEG Live president of international touring Rob Hallett said the secondary market can work, but measures need to be put in to prevent fans from being ripped off.

In 2010, Action Fraud received more than 600 complaints. Last year, the number of complaints jumped to 7,000, although that was largely thanks to one dodgy website. More than 3,000 complaints have been made so far this year.

Steve Profit from Action Fraud said criminals are preying on fans’ “desperation.”

“Concert tickets are very popular, people are desperate to see their favourite bands. People get desperate to see them and take risks on other websites,” he explained. “We need to know how many people are victims to this so that police can take action against these websites.”