Banks issue urgent warning to footy fans over ‘dodgy’ ticket scams
As the football season gets underway this year, banks have urged eager fans to be wary of ticket scammers.
Scammers are eyeing fans looking to buy tickets for the start of the ongoing football season as well as the highly anticipated AFL and NRL seasons.
Last year criminals caused more than $36 million in losses to Australians by profiting from scams and fake ticket sales.
Australian Banking Association CEO Simon Birmingham has warned that every second counts when it comes to booking tickets to popular events, with prices soaring and football fans desperate to seize the opportunity scammers are trying to fleece people out of their hard-earned money.
“You should be more careful when buying tickets. Scammers will try to scam you and leave you with fake tickets that won’t get you into the game,” Mr Birmingham said.
To combat the millions of dollars lost each year to successful scammers, the ABA recommends using extra caution when purchasing tickets and sticking to trusted, official ticket platforms or authorized resale sites.
Mr Birmingham said checking the legitimacy of sellers was an important tip and that football fans should avoid online marketplaces selling tickets as a last resort whenever possible, as they were “a haven for fraudsters”.
“Be wary of people offering tickets on social media and double-check the legitimacy of emails and text messages from football clubs or ticketing sites,” he said.
Fans should watch out for heavily discounted tickets or if the seller is willing to use alternative payment methods that are fast, insecure, and leave buyers with no easy way to get their money back, such as cryptocurrency, direct bank transfer, or gift cards in exchange for tickets.
It is very important to double check the website domain name and address as criminals may create a copy cat or legitimate looking copy website to obtain bank details and private information.
“Banks will work around the clock to detect and stop scams before they steal your hard-earned money, but your best defense is still to be extra careful and double-check the legitimacy of sellers,” Mr Birmingham said.
