How to avoid getting scammed when buying concert tickets

Want to see Oasis in Australia? Seeking out some last minute Pearl Jam or Coldplay tickets? About to line-up for Laneway Festival?

New Zealand's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warns with big events there are always scammers snooping around to take advantage of people's willingness to pay big money for rare tickets.

Here's what to look out for to keep yourself safe.

Where can I get resale tickets safely?

The best way a fan can ensure they are purchasing a legitimate ticket is to only buy from an authorised ticketing agency, Laneway Festival organisers say.

Have you been caught in a ticket scam? Share your story with us at nicky.park@rnz.co.nz

"This means purchasing through Ticketek exclusively, as Ticketek is the only online authorised ticket seller for Laneway Festival. This extends to the re-sale realm, where Ticketek Marketplace will be the only authorised place to buy and sell tickets already purchased by fans.

"We will be scanning all tickets on arrival, and you will not be granted entrance if the barcode has already been scanned or your ticket has been altered."

Oasis has told fans that their tour tickets can only be resold through Ticketmaster and Twickets at face value (plus a booking fee). Ticket sales are limited to four per household, per show.

On the band's website, it states that tickets sold through unauthorised resale platforms will breach terms and conditions and those tickets may be cancelled.

"Any tickets listed on unauthorised resale sites may not be genuine and, in line with the terms and conditions, promoters will be cancelling any tickets found listed."

The Australian and New Zealand arm of global touring titan Live Nation, which is presenting the shows, also advises fans to stick to the authorised retailers.

Consumer NZ spokesperson, Jessica Walker, agrees, saying it offers the best protection from dodgy resellers.

But with many expected to be lining up to see the band who broke up 16 years ago, it appears some are taking advantage of fans in a desperate situation after many of the shows sold out overseas.

Charles McFarland, - a threats researcher at US-based security software company McAfee - says more than 2000 suspicious tickets for the Oasis reunion tour were found on sale online in August, with prices ranging from £700-£1845 (NZ$1500-$3960).

"In the coming days and in the coming months leading up to the shows, expect to see all manner of ticket scams."

The dos and don'ts of ticket-buying

Firstly, avoid tickets that people promise or try to sell you before they actually go on sale. Oasis' two Sydney and Melbourne gigs next year will be on sale to the general public from Tuesday (12pm NZ time for Melbourne show, and 2pm NZ time for Sydney show), and a pre-sale is happening the day before at 2pm NZ time.

Also note when you purchase through a resale website you are not buying tickets from the company running the website, you are buying from the ticket holder.

• Avoid the urge to click on the top result of an internet search, ticket resellers pay to go to the top of the search list. Do your research on the website or the seller.
• Be aware of purchasing via social media. These sites are one of the main vehicles for scammers, as they can reach a huge audience with relative anonymity by setting up fake profiles, ads or pages.
• Sites like TradeMe have systems in place to remove scammers and protect you if you get scammed.
• Red flags to watch out for include: the person posting is relatively new on the site or doesn't have a good reputation score, the price is too good to be true, there is no good evidence they have the tickets to sell, and don't fall for pressure tactics, resellers will pile on the pressure to get you to act quickly.
• Make sure the website is secure (characterised by https:// and a padlock symbol in the URL). It means they use a secure protocol for transmitting sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers over the internet.
• Pay for your ticket on a credit card, that way, if anything goes wrong you might be able to get a chargeback from your bank, Consumer NZ says.
• But NCSC advises that when you go to pay, have a good read of what the refund options are, no matter whether it's PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Ping on TradeMe, or entering your credit card into a website.

Earlier this year, the Commerce Commission won a high court battle against Viagogo, which had breached the Fair Trading Act by misleading customers about its ticket guarantee, the demand for tickets, ticket prices and additional fees.

Viagogo had also claimed it was an authorised ticket seller rather than being upfront about its website being a resale platform. The Commerce Commission still advises people that there is a risk in using the website.

I got scammed - what do I do?

If you have been scammed in one of these situations, immediately contact your bank and let them know; you may also want to report it to the police. Then contact the platform where you purchased the tickets and report the scammer. Finally, report to the NCSC's CERT NZ website.

Consumer NZ says to try and contact the seller to ask for a refund.

"There's a chance you won't get a response, but this is good evidence for you to use when you request a chargeback from your bank."

You can also complain to the Commerce Commission.