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Explainer – The footy fans’ guide to ticket scams

  • Scams

As the AFL finals series continues and NRL’s begins, NAB is urging supporters to be vigilant to avoid ticket scams.

  • 11.09.2024
  • Time to read 1 min read

Feature image above: Criminals target fans seeking tickets to major sporting events like like 2024 AFL Grand Final at the MCG and the NRL finals.

  • Published on 11.09.2024
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The 2024 NRL Premiership Finals Series comes after the final ladder position was decided in the season's very last match. As a result, finals tickets are expected to be in hot demand.

As the AFL finals series continues and the NRL‘s begins, NAB is urging supporters to be vigilant to avoid ticket scams.

To help fans protect themselves, NAB’s compiled a guide to explain how ticket scams work, where they start and common red flags.

What is a ticket scam?

Ticket scams are a type of buying and selling scam where people buy tickets that don’t exist to sporting events and concerts through unofficial channels like social media.

NAB Executive, Group Investigations Chris Sheehan said ticket scams played on people’s fear of missing out.

“Scammers are criminals who prey on people’s passion for their footy club and the emotional rollercoaster of finals,” Mr Sheehan, a former Australian Federal Police executive, said.

“We also anticipate that criminals will then target fans looking for tickets to see major international music acts playing down under in October and November.

“These scams are a numbers game for criminals who can ‘sell’ the same fake ticket to dozens of people in hours.”

Buying and selling scams are the most common scam type NAB customers report. More broadly, Australians lost $15m to these scams so far in 2024, according to the ACCC’s Scamwatch.

Social media conversation about Taylor Swift tickets

Criminals used social media to scam Taylor Swift fans looking for tickets to her Australian tour.

What are the red flags of ticket scams?

The biggest red flag is tickets to a sold out or in demand event for sale on social media.

The tickets could be advertised on a social media marketplace or in a specific group. Criminals may also respond to people’s “in search of” or “wanted” posts.

Mr Sheehan said there were instances of scammers hacking social media profiles during Taylor Swift’s Australian tour and selling bogus tickets to the account owner’s friends, who weren’t aware someone else was controlling the account.

Other red flags include:

  • The tickets are heavily discounted or cheaper than the retail price.
  • Social media profiles selling tickets are newly created, based overseas, have random usernames or furiously re-tweet.
  • The seller claims they can prove tickets are legit, by sending you emails or screenshots.
  • The seller wants you to pay via cryptocurrency or direct money transfer.

Mr Sheehan said NAB’s insights showed one in two Australians believed social media platforms were doing nothing at all to stop scams occurring, the least of any organisation in the scams ecosystem.

“Aussies aged 18 to 29 were most likely to see scams starting on Facebook, What’s App and Instagram, highlighting even digital natives can fall victim to this crime,” he said.

“That’s why we support the Government’s plans to apply new Scam Codes across telecommunications, social and digital media companies as well as banks.

“We need social media companies to be more proactive in detecting scams across their online marketplaces and taking down scam profiles, posts and ads. It’s these online forums that are driving the trend we’re seeing in buying and selling scams.”

Photo of hand holding a mobile phone with a payment alert.

An example of a NAB payment alert. First introduced in March 2023, customers have abandoned more than $100m in payments linked to potential scams.

How to protect yourself from ticket scams

Mr Sheehan recommended only buying tickets from authorised ticket agents or licensed resellers, which are often Ticketmaster and Ticketek.

“Remember, if the price or availability of tickets sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.

When it comes to tickets for sale on social media:

  • Be sceptical. Do a reverse image search and if you see the same image of tickets or proof of purchase on other websites, it’s probably a scam.
  • Even if it’s a friend you legitimately know listing the tickets on social media, pick up the phone and talk to them directly before sending money.
  • Review the seller’s profile in detail to see when it was created, how active they are and if they have any reviews.
  • Get a second opinion from someone you trust.
  • Consider paying for tickets via credit card. Private sales don’t offer buyers any protection if the ticket isn’t real.

Mr Sheehan encouraged anyone who thought they were the victim of scam to contact their bank immediately.

“We will always do our best to recover your money, but it can be challenging given the speed and sophistication of the criminals behind the scam epidemic,” he said.

“That’s why we’re focused on stopping the crime before it happens.”

mobile phone with exclamation points jumping out of it while a person also holds a debit / credit card

A national, co-ordinated approach is vital to stopping scams.

Stopping the crime

Real-time payment alerts in the NAB App and Internet Banking are helping protect customers from ticket scams.

Customers may receive an alert if a payment shows signs of a ticket scam to get them to stop and consider where they’re about to send money.

“NAB customers abandoned $285,0000 in payments specifically linked to potential ticket scams in in a three-month period earlier this year,” Mr Sheehan said.

He said NAB initiatives, including payment alerts, combined with Aussies becoming more scam-savvy were having an impact.

“We’re starting to see some positive signs, with customer losses down 17% between October 2023 and March 2024, compared to the previous six months. That’s despite customer reports increasing by about 10% in the same period.”

“We can, and will, do more.”

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