Americans lost nearly $8.8 billion to fraud in 2022 — don’t let a ticket scam catch you off guard! 

As an event organizer, avoiding ticket scams is critical to protect your attendees and your business’ reputation. And for event attendees, learning how to spot a ticket scammer can save you big money. 

Eventbrite is one of the largest online ticketing platforms, and we take ticket verification and cybersecurity very seriously. 

We’ve created this comprehensive guide to protect event organizers and attendees from ticket scammers. We’ll go over how ticket scams work, how to spot them, and how to avoid them.

Are you an event organizer? Skip to:
How can event organizers protect attendees from ticket scams?

Are you an event-goer? Skip to:
How do ticket scams work?

How do ticket scams work? 

Ticket scams can take a variety of different forms. Some sell fake tickets, pocketing the victim’s money and delivering a counterfeit ticket (or nothing at all). Others are designed to capture the victim’s credit card number. And some sell general admission tickets as premium or VIP tickets, misleading the victim into overpaying. 

Most scammers try to create a sense of urgency that tricks people. For instance, a scammer might advertise tickets to a sold-out show, convincing excited fans to buy fake tickets.

“For the most part, scams happen when tickets are sold outside of the official event website or ticketing platform.”

Scams often happen around hyped-up events that sell out, leaving fans desperate for a ticket. For example, a teen girl lost $350 to a ticket scammer trying to buy tickets to a sold-out concert to see her favorite artist, Taylor Swift. In this case, the scammer reached out to her on Instagram, offering to sell her tickets to the sold-out show. 

It’s wise to keep an eye out for scams whenever you’re buying tickets. For the most part, scams happen when tickets are sold outside the official event website or ticketing platform, usually by individuals pretending to be selling tickets to an event they can no longer attend.

For event organizers, scams can harm your attendees and your business. We’ll cover how to help prevent scams below — but the biggest things you can do are: 

  • Make it easy for attendees to buy legitimate tickets
  • Provide a safe way for attendees to resell their tickets if they can’t attend

Now let’s look at how to identify ticket scams.

Checklist of red flags for ticket scams

How to spot a ticket scammer and avoid a ticket scam 

The only way to completely prevent ticket scams is to buy directly from a reputable source. This means buying tickets on Eventbrite, through other verified ticket platforms, or directly from the event website.

Many scams happen when individuals (not companies/event organizers) sell tickets second-hand. They may claim that they can no longer attend the event and are forced to sell — but the chances are, they don’t have any real tickets to begin with! 

To avoid scams, watch out for any red flags:

  • Deeply discounted tickets
  • Any deal that seems too good to be true
  • Sellers reaching out to you
  • Payment methods with no protection (cash, gift cards, peer-to-peer payment apps)
  • Third-party websites
  • Look-alike sites/links designed to look similar to a legitimate ticket marketplace (check the website URL to ensure it’s the real website)
  • Odd language, misspelled words, or awkward phrasing
  • Sellers asking you to DM or text them right away

Bottom line: If tickets are available from the original source (like the event’s Eventbrite page or the official event website), then buy directly to avoid scams. 

Secure verified tickets to events in your area

Crowd in conference meeting

Common ticket scam traps — and how to avoid them 

Ticket scams are often repeated, so certain types of scams and patterns turn up more often. We’ve listed the most common ones below. 

A person looking at her phone with a confused look

Sold-out tickets on secondary markets 

Any sold-out event has a high likelihood of attracting scammers. Scammers will advertise tickets to sold-out shows on social media, Craigslist, FB Marketplace, OfferUp, and even specific community message boards (like an NFL subreddit). But the chances are, they never had real tickets in the first place!

💡Pro Tip: Follow the artist/performer/event organizer on social media for popular, sold-out events to snag tickets to one of their future shows. Make sure to buy only from official sources or via links that the organizer or artist posts on social media. Sometimes, performers add extra dates to a city if demand is high enough. Alternatively, you can contact the event organizer to see if they have any extra tickets (from cancellations or reserved tickets). 

Discounted tickets on social media 

Scammers often advertise tickets for sale on social media. In 2022, scams initiated on social media led to consumer losses of a whopping $1.2 billion. It’s best to be wary of any person selling tickets to an event unless you know or trust them.

In addition to tickets for sale to sold-out events, some scammers advertise tickets for less than the standard price. For instance, if general admission tickets to a music festival cost $250, a scammer may advertise them on social media for $150. 

This scenario can be legitimate — sometimes, the original ticket holder can no longer attend an event and needs to sell. However, this is also a high scam risk. 

Remember to check the user’s profile for red flags on how to spot a ticket scammer. Examples include tickets for sale in multiple cities, brand-new profiles, and deeply discounted tickets. If you don’t know the seller, check if they have any Marketplace reviews (Facebook has this built into the system).

💡Pro Tip: Keep an eye out for other strange details that don’t add up. If the social profile is set to public, make sure it’s a real account with genuine activity outside of selling tickets. Look out for flags that could identify a fake social media account, like using an avatar instead of a real profile photo. 

Fake ticket websites 

Some scammers create fake websites to sell counterfeit tickets. Some of these sites are designed to look similar to legit sites, like Ticketmaster. Others are designed to replicate the artist’s or performer’s official website. Others may use fake emails from a spoofed email address to mimic a legitimate email sender. 

To avoid these scams, pay very close attention to the website’s URL and email addresses you receive emails from. Scammers sometimes use unique URL structures to mimic legit-looking names. Look for websites ending in .com, as these are most likely legitimate. You can also manually search for a website on Google and click the top result. A scam site is unlikely to rank well in Google’s search results.

💡Pro Tip: Never pay for tickets using cryptocurrency, gift cards, cash, or a bank transfer. Peer-to-peer payment apps like Cashapp or Venmo can also be risky, particularly if using a “friends and family” mode, which lacks purchase protection. Credit cards are the safest option. That way, if it is a scam, you can contact the credit card company to start a chargeback. Keep a close eye on your transactions and statements to ensure your credit card number hasn’t been compromised.  

Duplicate ticket scams 

Sometimes, scammers purchase a real ticket and then resell multiple copies of the same ticket to several buyers. Since many platforms sell digital tickets, this can be as simple as forwarding the ticket confirmation email or taking pictures of tickets or the event QR code

This type of scam happens on secondary ticket markets (where you buy from a reseller, not the event organizer). This is another reason to only buy directly from the original source or a verified ticket resale marketplace where ticket resellers have to follow a verification process. 

💡Pro Tip: If you have to buy concert tickets or any other event ticket on a secondary marketplace, make sure you use a trustworthy company that offers a ticket guarantee. Legitimate ticket reseller marketplaces like StubHub and VividSeats provide authentic tickets, even if third parties sell them. 

Seat scams

Seat scams occur when people sell you real tickets to an event but advertise them as a different type of event ticket. For instance, they may sell general admission tickets but advertise them as premium/VIP seats. When you arrive at the event, you realize that you overpaid! This can also happen when people sell group tickets but fail to mention that the seats aren’t located next to each other. 

These kinds of scams are less common, but many of the same general rules of thumb apply. Ensure you’re buying from a legitimate source, and be wary of anything too good to be true. 

💡Pro Tip: Many venues and events publish detailed seat maps ahead of time. Ask the seller to confirm the ticket number and location before you buy. Then, look closely at the venue’s seat map to confirm that the location is as advertised. 

Speaker at an organized event
Eventbrite / Re.Mixer LA / Los Angeles, CA

How can event organizers protect attendees from ticket scams?

For event organizers, reducing the risk of their tickets being used for scams should be a high priority for several reasons. If attendees are scammed, they may blame you and your business — even if it’s not your fault — leading to a loss of trust.

So how do you protect your business and attendees from a potential ticket scam? Here’s what you need to know. 

Choose a reliable event ticketing platform

First, partner with a reliable and secure third party to help you manage ticket sales. 

Eventbrite is the leading event management software and online ticketing platform with powerful tools for event organizers. Eventbrite uses rigorous data security and payment technology to ensure safety for both organizers and attendees. The platform also doesn’t allow third-party sellers, meaning every ticket sold on Eventbrite is sold directly by the event organizer. 

Eventbrite has excellent brand recognition (and consumer trust) and is home to 90 million ticket buyers. Attendees trust the Eventbrite platform and use it every day to find new events in their area. You can plug into this existing audience using Eventbrite and take your events business to new heights. Get started with Eventbrite today.

Use consistent event branding

Event branding includes consistency across your logo, color scheme, design features, and more. Applying event branding across all platforms can help attendees recognize your business and spot anomalies that could signal fraudulent ticket sellers are trying to mimic your company. 

Monitor social media 

Many scams originate on social media. It’s a good idea to monitor local marketplace listings in your area, particularly if your event has already sold out. Look out for people selling tickets to your event, then cross-reference them with your records to see if the tickets are legitimate. If you spot a potential scammer, report the listing to the social media platform and Scam Tracker. For repeat offenders, you can even file police reports. 

Make it obvious when your event sells out

If your event sells out, make it very clear that no additional tickets are available to prevent fraudulent ticket sellers from siphoning off interested buyers. You can also use a sell-out to build excitement on your social media pages while warning potential ticket buyers to be wary of anyone selling tickets to your event. 

Audit your internal security practices

Scams can sometimes originate from within your company — or from a hacker compromising your accounts. 

For instance, a scammer could hack your website and change the payment details to siphon off funds from legitimate ticket sales or redirect unsuspecting web visitors to a scam website. Brush up on cybersecurity best practices like creating strong, unique passwords and updating your website and apps to the latest versions.

Provide a safe resale or refund option

In some cases, ticket holders will legitimately need to resell event tickets. One option is to provide refunds if an attendee can’t make the event. Another is to provide a safe way for people to sell their tickets. Eventbrite has partnered with Tixel, a leading third-party ticket resale platform, to make this easier.

Zac Leigh, CEO and co-founder of verified ticket marketplace Tixel explains how to use ticket resale to your advantage. “By giving ticket holders the option to resell their ticket safely, you can make sure it’s in the hands of someone who is able to attend on the day. It also gives you the flexibility to reschedule event dates if you need to, knowing that people can sell their event tickets if the new dates don’t suit — and eager fans can snap up any tickets that become available rather than starting on sale again.”

Don’t let a ticket scam catch you off guard 

If there’s one fundamental rule to remember, it’s that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is! A ticket scam often includes a great deal on a ticket or exclusive access to an event long sold out. It’s best to avoid the risk if you encounter anything that sparks any doubt.

These expert tips will keep your money (and your event attendees) safe. To improve all aspects of your event management business, use comprehensive event management software like Eventbrite, with robust security and built-in payment processing.