Concert and festival-goers across York and North Yorkshire lost more than £50,000 to ticket fraud last year, new figures reveal.
According to North Yorkshire Police, victims were conned out of a total of £50,510 in 2024, part of a national loss of over £9 million to ticket scams.
As the summer gets into full swing and festivals and concerts continue across the region, police are urging the public to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to fraudsters.
Protecting yourself from ticket scams
Officers are warning people to only buy tickets from:
- The event venue’s official box office
- An authorised promoter or agent
- A well-known and reputable ticketing website
Additional advice from North Yorkshire Police includes:
- Avoid paying for tickets by bank transfer, especially if you’re buying from someone unknown. Using a credit card gives you a better chance of recovering the money if you become a victim of fraud.
- The password you use for your email account, as well as any other accounts you use to purchase tickets, should be different from all your other passwords. Use three random words to create a strong and memorable password, and enable 2-step verification (2SV).
- Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on tickets.
- Is the vendor a member of STAR? If they are, the company has signed up to their strict governing standards. STAR also offers an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service to help customers with outstanding complaints.
Stay safe this summer!