Viagogo’s Tips On Scam Avoidance

Secondary ticketer Viagogo published a report that gives fans tips to avoid getting ripped off when buying tickets for festivals and major concerts.

According to what the company’s calling its “Scam Nation 2013” report, British punters were ripped off to the tune of £50 million over the last 12 months.

Harrow Crown Court in January jailed Andrew Lagan and Gary Agar for a total of eight years for scams that were alleged to have brought in £2.65 million.

The Viagogo-commissioned report, which examined the market for fraudulent live-event tickets, found the amount lost to scams is 67 percent (or £20million) – more than what it was a year ago.

It also said that of the 4.7 million people who didn’t receive tickets they’d paid for, only 4 percent of them reported the incident to the police.

The most-targeted events included shows by Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, and One Direction, and the V Festivals.

Photo: Joel Ryan / Invision / AP

The O2, London, UK

Apart from letting fans know they should buy from a secure site, “such as Viagogo,” the firm also warns them to be aware of sites with eye-catching prices and to never buy from a source that doesn’t give clear instructions, terms and conditions.