Warning To Concert-Goers To Avoid Fraudsters Ahead Of Stereophonics Event

The Stereophonics concert will shortly be upon us. This event has been a sell out and those who have missed out and decide to try and purchase last minute tickets could be targeted by fraudsters posing as official sellers. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Purchasing from an unauthorised seller or a ticket tout could leave you out of pocket; not only are some tickets advertised at inflated prices, there is a risk that the tickets purchased are counterfeit or do not exist. Any individual with a counterfeit ticket will be refused entry. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Wrexham Trading Standards are offering the following advice in the run up to the concert, to help steer clear of scams and avoid disappointment. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

When you buy a ticket online for an event such as this, you need to make sure you are using a genuine site. There are some ticketing scams which pretend to supply online tickets for popular events. These sites will take your money but not give you a ticket. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

You can find out if a ticketing website is genuine by: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• looking at the type of tickets sold – be suspicious if they are for events that have sold out.
• looking at feedback about the website or company – enter its name into a search engine to see if there are comments from buyers about whether they have received tickets.
• checking contact details for the website – there should be a landline phone number and a full postal address. Avoid using the site if there is only a PO box address and mobile phone number, as it could be difficult to get in touch after you buy tickets. These addresses and phone numbers are easy to change and difficult to trace.
• using www.safeconcerts.com and entering the web address of the site you are looking at to see if you can find out more about it.
• use a site that has a red, black and white kitemark provided by the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR), the self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticket industry. A full list of STAR’S members is available on their website.

If you think you’ve bought a ticket from a scam website, you should report it via the action fraud website, at www.actionfraud.police.uk. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

You may not get your money back, but you can try and prevent this site being used by others. If you paid for the ticket by credit card, the credit card company may be jointly responsible if the ticket seller breaks their contract with you. As long as the tickets cost over £100, you may be able to claim your money back from the credit card company. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

If you paid by a Visa or Mastercard debit card, you may be able to ask for a refund under their chargeback scheme. You will need to contact the card company to make a claim. It is also never advisable to purchase tickets from on street ticket touts. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Wrexham Trading Standards are also advising those attending the concert to only purchase official merchandise from inside the venue. As this event may attract sellers who set up outside the ground offering posters, T-shirts, lanyards etc, all with the pop star names or pictures on and they sell them for a fraction of the price of the official merchandise on sale inside the venue. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

However these products are not worth purchasing as they are inferior copies and are of poor quality. They are not authorised by the bands or the brand/trademark holders – those who sell them are flouting the law and making a quick illegal profit from concert goers. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​