Desperate to get tickets to that sold-out concert? When you see a post on Facebook from a friend or a legitimate-looking profile in a Facebook group, it’s easy to let your excitement and enthusiasm cloud your better judgement. But ticket scams from hacked Facebook profiles are rife, so we’re sharing our top tips to help you not fall victim to a Facebook Ticket Scam.
In desperation to get tickets to Taylor Swift, hundreds (if not thousands) of people were scammed by fake Facebook profiles. With P!NK returning to Sydney on 16 March, hundreds of people are now being scammed into buying tickets to this sold-out concert.
These ticket scams are happening to smart, intelligent people, who never thought they would fall victim to a scam. But the scammers are becoming more sophisticated and believable, so it’s important to be extra vigilant in purchasing concert tickets online.
Concert Ticket Scams: How to not get scammed on Facebook
- Do not let your excitement about getting those hot tickets cloud your better judgement and everything you’ve already learnt about scams!
- Never buy tickets from a stranger on Facebook – even if their profile looks completely legitimate, has been in existence for many years and you can see photos of them that make them look like a real person. Many very ‘normal’ looking profiles have been overtaken by scammers, so the person who originally set up the account no longer has access.
- If you are seriously tempted to trust a Facebook profile that you don’t know, ask them for a phone number so you can call them (but be wary that AI might even be able to fake an Aussie accent and chat bot).
- Insist on using PayPal. They are reportedly better than banks at recovering lost funds than banks.
- Do not buy tickets from friends on Facebook UNLESS you have spoken to them on the phone and know that it is 100% them behind the profile. Many people have been scammed by profiles, thinking they are buying tickets from a friend. However the account has been hacked and they don’t have access anymore.
- Do NOT transfer money to a bank account. The name might match the FB profile, but this field is irrelevant and not checked by banks.
Where to safely buy concert tickets
The ONLY safe place to buy tickets is Ticketek Marketplace.
Ticketek Marketplace is owned by Ticketek and is a secondary market where you can safely sell and buy tickets. Customers who have previously purchased from Ticketek can quickly and easily list their tickets for sale on Ticketek Marketplace.
Marketplace integrates with My Ticketek accounts and is able to guarantee all tickets. Sellers can list tickets that they hold through Marketplace to potential buyers. The sale price of secondary tickets is capped at 10% above face value to align with relevant legislation.
What to do if you’ve been scammed
Got that sinking feeling that you’ve been scammed? It’s important to do the following:
- Call your bank as soon as you realise you’ve been scammed. Do not delay, as the sooner you call them, the better chance you have at recovering the funds.
- Report the scam to the police. This kind of fraud cannot be reported online or via the Police Assistance line, so you need to attend your local police station and report in person & complete a form.
- Reporting the profile to Facebook and ask all your friends to report it too. Unfortunately Facebook are notoriously bad at not taking these reports seriously (you might get a notification to say that the profile “does not go against our community standards”).
- Report the scam online to ScamWatch and The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre.
How to prevent your Facebook profile from getting hacked
Everyone who has a Facebook profile needs to ensure they are using all the available security features to ensure nobody can take over your account.
- Choose a 10-14 character password filled with numbers, letters and symbols. Do not use this password for any other application. Use a PassWord manager (like LastPass) to ensure you have unique, secure logins for everything.
- Use 2-factor authentication to login to password. Yes, it’s an extra hassle, but it is worth it for the extra layer of security.
If you haven’t changed your password in a while, change it! Click here for lots of tips to keep your account secure from Facebook.
