How to See If Event Tickets Are Fraudulent

With the rise of online auction sites and classified sites, the amount of fake event tickets sold to consumers has been on the rise. Either counterfeiters make copies of the ticket through at home equipment or they print out numerous copies of the "print at home" tickets that are available through the major ticket vendors across the country. When the buyer brings these tickets to the event destination, they are turned away due to the fraudulent nature of the ticket without a refund. There is not a surefire way to tell if an event ticket is real or not, but if you follow these steps, you could be able to eliminate any doubts you may have about the credibility of the ticket.

Instructions

    • 1

      Familiarize yourself with the layout of the ticket you are buying. If you are purchasing from a major vendor, note other tickets you may have bought from them, or go to their website and take a look at their ticket layout. Take special note of the paper stock. Counterfeiters tend to use a slightly different stock than the one used by the major vendors.

    • 2

      Purchasing tickets of the print at home variety from an independent party is one of the most common ways you can find yourself with a fraudulent ticket. The major vendors offer these ones to consumers who want the convenience of printing out their tickets on computer paper. The problem with these is that often a scam artist will sell various copies of the same ticket. The person who reaches the event venue first will be able to go in, but everyone else will be turned away. Do not purchase these tickets from independent vendors. Always be sure they are the tickets from a box office.

    • 3

      Ask for identification from the person who you are purchasing the tickets from. That way, you can confirm with the ticket vendor or event box office whether or not the person selling you the even ticket is the one who originally purchased the ticket. It will also help in case you need to go to the proper authorities.

    • 4

      Take a car cigarette lighter and gently press it against the purchased ticket in an area that will not hurt the bar code or seating information. Tickets are printed on a carbon paper that turns darker when exposed to intense heat. Doing this will ensure that the ticket it legitimate. But, be careful when doing this--you do not want to destroy the ticket in the process.

    • 5

      Check the event venue seating chart and compare it to the tickets you have purchased. Call the event venue to ask them if the tickets have been purchased and if so by whom. This will help in legitimizing whether or not the tickets you bought are real or fake.