Fraudulent websites: police operation

Fraudulent websites: police operation

The Police and Trading Standards work together to crack down on ticket fraud and are involved in operations to close down fraudulent ticket websites.

The sites, based all over the world, advertise tickets for sale to UK-based sports matches and concerts; duping unsuspecting fans into buying either fraudulent or non-existent tickets at a reduced price.

Unfortunately for individuals who have fallen foul of ticket fraud the prospect of getting their money back may be slim. Whilst consumers have the rights associated with a 'normal' contract, the people behind the 'businesses' generally have no intention of providing either the tickets or consumers their money back and may be hard to track down so that consumers can obtain a refund through normal routes of redress, for example court action.

If the goods or services you have bought cost over £100 and you paid by credit card, you may be protected by section 75 of The Consumer Credit Act. This states that the credit card company is equally liable for any problems. Therefore, should a problem arise, you can claim either from the trader or from the credit card company. In situations where making a claim against the trader is not a feasible option purchases protected by the Consumer Credit Act can be a saving grace.

If you paid by debit card you are not covered by the Consumer Credit Act and there is no legal obligation on the card provider to reimburse you. You may though be able to ask for money back under the 'chargeback' procedure operated by members of the Visa and Mastercard schemes: speak to your bank to see if this is possible.

If you are the victim of a fraud or suspect that a business is selling tickets fraudulently, you can report it to Action Fraud, run by the Government's National Fraud Authority, by using their online fraud reporting tool, or by speaking to their specialist fraud advisers on 0300 123 2040.

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Source:

Consumer Direct

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