How Festival Organisers Handle Online Fake Music Festival Ticketing Scams.

The prevalence of criminal networks operating music festival ticketing scams continues to be an issue in the industry. Their presence causes reputational damage to festival organisers and financial loss to the ticket buying victims. What steps can festival organisers take to tackle these online scams and what extra measures can be implemented to protect ticket buyers.

Fraudsters frequently use clone websites and social media to advertise tickets for music festivals, often at a reduced price or for events that are already sold out. They usually focus on impersonating or making convincing copies of a festival’s branding, making it difficult to differentiate from the real thing. What can organisers do to educate festival-goers and create ticketing processes that are robust whilst getting fake ticket sellers removed from the internet.

Publishing Clear Ticketing Information.
Festival organisers need to ensure that their ticketing process is clearly communicated to potential ticket buyers. Clear announcements about the release of tickets should be accompanied by identifying official ticketing partner platforms, perhaps including specific URLs, for example. In addition to the initial ticket sale, organisers must specify how ticket holders can re-sell unwanted tickets, usually through an approved exchange platform. Organisers should publish warnings about fake ticketing sellers, exchanges, and what official emails will look like. Some organisers create specific anti-scam pages on their websites with checklists for ticket buyers, so they know the correct URLs and domains and how to recognise fake websites, advertisements, and phishing emails, for example. Clear communications through all channels ensures that festival-goers know the release dates of tickets, their availability and when an event is sold out. It's not unusual for scammers to create adverts on social media platforms announcing an additional ticket release for an event that is already sold out, once clicked on the unsuspecting victim is taken to a clone website that either sells a non-existent ticket or where personal data is collected (phishing).

Build Robust Ticketing Validation Processes.
The event ticketing industry is constantly trying to adapt and evolve to counter new threats from fraudsters and scammers as well as identifying and preventing ticket scalping. Whether it's Ticketmaster or a similar platform, they all use similar technology solutions to minimise risk. Measures can include the use of dynamic QR codes, having mobile only tickets, unique ticket IDs, real time status checking, and automated duplicate ticket detections, for example. Although phishing emails sent direct to potential ticket buyers are common, scammers also target festival entities, usually by impersonating staff, sponsors, artists or suppliers. A compromised official festival email account allows criminals to generate fake ticket links. The organisers own email accounts must be protected through multi-factor-authentication, strong password protection, restrictive admins privileges and multi layered approval procedures plus domain-based email authentication such as DKIM and DMARC.

Monitor and Report Suspicious Online Activity.
It is prudent for festival organisers to actively search for fake websites and other suspicious online activity that is impersonating their brand. Common tactics used include similar domains names with altered spelling, websites and adverts that offer tickets which are not available (yet to be launched or sold out). Many scammers and fraudsters invest in google search or social media advertising to appear in front of potential ticket buyers. The potential audience selected will usually be served the fake ticket advert based on their search history using algorithms and AI, for example. Tickes advertised for sale on Facebook marketplace make up the bulk of fake tickets advertised for sale, usually through a hacked account. When any fraudulent online activity is detected, organisers should have a rapid takedown process established. Key measures include the collection of evidence, verification of fraudulent activity, reporting any websites to the hosting company requesting domain suspension, and reporting social media accounts, for example. In addition, the official ticketing platform and payment providers should be notified of suspicious activity as well as informing the police if appropriate. If there's continuing fraudulent activity, organisers can post details on their official social media channels to warn potential ticket buyers what to look for and to report any additional suspicious activity.

Additional Actions for Organisers.
Many festival organisers have moved to ticket sales linked to a specific individual who must be verified on entry. This is regularly communicated with ticket buyers, so they are aware that they cannot just resell a ticket as it will fail the verification process at the entry gate, being linked to the original buyer. This process ensures that only official ticket exchanges can process a ticket resale where details of the new buyer are linked to the ticket in place of the original buyer. Organisers who identify suspicious activity and are confronted by ticket buyers who have been scammed should be able to provide practical advice on their next action, usually to contact their bank or payment provider, for example. If the festival entity has taken reasonable preventative measures, it gives a clear reference point for victims of ticket scams which helps protect the brand.

For festival organisers planning their next event using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

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