The Federal Economy Department has launched a large-scale campaign to warn people in Belgium about websites selling bogus concert tickets. During the last year department has received 2.5 times more complaints from people that have been duped by ticket fraudsters than was the case during the previous year.
Last year the department received 360 complaints from people that had bought bogus tickets. This is more than 250% more than the number it received during 2022.
In 70% of cases the bogus ticket was for a festival. 19% concerned bogus tickets for a concert, 8% bogus tickets for a party and 4% bogus theme park tickets.
The total amount defrauded was 60,615 euro this is almost 5 times the 13,142 euro that was obtain fraudulently in 2022. On average each ticket fraud victim was defrauded to the tune of 168 euro.
Not all cases reported
The Federal Economy Department’s Lien Meurisse says that the number of complaints the department receives about ticket fraud is just the tip of the iceberg.
"Victims are probably ashamed or don’t find it necessary to report the fraud as it doesn’t alter the fact that they have lost their money”.
"However, we would like to convince on all victims to report this kind of fraud. They can do so easily via the www.ConsumerConnect.be website”. This will help enable the Economic Inspectorate to trace the culprits and prevent other from being defrauded.
Always book via an official website
The Economy Department advises the public to always book tickets via an event’s official website or the site of the artist or venue where the concert or event is taking place. Even if the concert is sold out the official website remains the best option. "They sometimes keep a waiting list or have other means by which you can buy a ticket from someone else at the correct price”.
Anyone that bought a bogus ticket with their credit card can attempt to block payment by reporting the fraud to www.mijnkaart.be . The Economy Department also advises victims to report the fraud to the local police.