Deepak Gupta

Shopping and marketplace · Also called fake concert tickets, sold-out event ticket scam, resale ticket fraud, sports ticket scam

Ticket scam

A ticket scam is the sale of fake, duplicated, or non-existent tickets for concerts, sports, festivals, and other events, usually through social media, fake websites, or resale adverts. Scammers target sold-out events, ask for payment by bank transfer, and then disappear or send tickets that do not work.

How it works

Scammers advertise tickets to popular or sold-out events on social media, marketplaces, or fake ticket websites.
Some use hacked social media accounts so the offer appears to come from a friend.
They ask for payment by bank transfer or payment app rather than a protected method.
The tickets never arrive, are fake, or have already been sold to other buyers, and the seller cannot be reached.

Red flags

Tickets for a sold-out event are offered through an unsolicited message or social media post.
The seller asks for payment by bank transfer and will not accept a credit card or the platform's payment system.
The ticket website is not the official agent, venue box office, or a known resale platform.
The seller cannot tell you how and when you will get the tickets, or whether you will get a refund or replacement if something goes wrong.

If you are targeted

Stop contact and do not send more money.
Contact your bank or card issuer straight away to try to stop or dispute the payment.
Check the tickets with the official ticket agent or venue.
Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.
Report the seller's profile or advert to the platform.

Where to report, by country

Prevention

For individuals

Buy from the venue's box office, the official ticket agent, or a reputable resale platform that transfers tickets inside its own system.
Pay by credit card if you can, since it gives a better chance of getting your money back.
Never post photos of your own tickets or barcodes online, since they can be copied.

For organisations

Event organisers can publish the official sellers and resale routes for each event.
Social media platforms can act quickly on reports of hacked accounts selling tickets.

By the numbers

Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.

Non-payment and non-delivery losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025	$503.4M	US, 2025, FBI IC3
Authorised push payment fraud losses in the UK in 2025	£576.4M	GB, 2025, UK Finance

Real cases

No documented case in the atlas yet. New cases are added as they are sourced.

Delivered through: Social media ads and posts

How official datasets classify it

FBI IC3: Non-Payment/Non-Delivery
FTC: Online Shopping
UK Finance: Purchase scam
Scamwatch: Buying and selling scams

Questions

Is it safe to buy tickets on social media?: It is risky. UK police advice is to buy from the official agent, the venue box office, or a reputable ticket exchange, and to pay by credit card rather than bank transfer.
Can I get my money back for fake tickets?: If you paid by credit card, contact your card issuer to dispute the charge. For bank transfers, call your bank at once, because recovery is harder.