Don’t be fooled into buying fake gig tickets online: what to look out for

Don’t let ticket scammers ruin your festival fun 💔

Author: Emma DicksonPublished 19th Jun 2022
Last updated 19th Jun 2022

Music fans are desperate to get their hands on tickets to see their favourite artists perform LIVE this summer, but many are left devastated at the gate, unable to get in due to fake tickets and scams.

Fraudsters are using a range of methods to tempt music fans, from offering tickets on social media, as well as directing targets to bogus ticketing sites, falling victim to a ticket scam has never been easier.

According to a recent study by Barclays Bank, “more than a quarter (26 per cent) of millennial festival-goers have fallen victim to a ticket scam.”

Fans were left stranded at last night’s Calvin Harris event due to dodgy tickets. The show was one of the most anticipated this summer in the city, and sold out in a matter of minutes back in March.

Cool FM had a handful of tickets left, so Stuart Robinson stepped in to help some of the heartbroken young people who were scammed.

How to avoid ticket scams:

Only buy your tickets from legitimate sources – ticketmaster.ie etc

Be extra cautious with hard-to-get tickets to shows featuring a prominent performer, artist or band.

Refuse to be rushed - scam artists also try to hurry their victims into making a decision

Guard your personal information - PayPal warns against sharing personal financial information online with strangers, downloading attachments that could harm your computer or logging into your account via hyperlinks that might take you to fake websites.

It's just festival season this summer, there's a long list of international acts coming to Belfast over the next couple of months.

Check it out 👇

Robbie Williams - 3Arena Dublin - Saturday 29th October

Robbie Williams will go on tour later this year bringing his high-octane shows to cities across the UK and Ireland.
Robbie Williams plays Dublin's 3Arena on Saturday 29th October 2022.

Ryan McMullan - Millennium Forum - Thursday 3rd November

The acclaimed Northern Irish singer and songwriter is set to release his new EP, Debut Mix Tape in early 2022. Ryan played to 40,000 people with Dermot Kennedy at Belsonic this September followed by sold out shows in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leicester.

Biffy Clyro - SSE Arena Belfast - Wednesday 9th November

Biffy Clyro revealed details of their next full-scale UK & Ireland arena tour in November 2022, with special guests Architects in support at every show. The tour announcement comes in the wake of glowing reviews from their incredible performance at Download Festival.

Lyra - Limelight 2 - Thursday 10th November

Lyra is a singer/songwriter from Cork who's voice and on stage presence is truly at home on a global stage. Her songs have been used on worldwide ad campaigns for Van Moof, Guinness, Disney+ and have featured in "Grey's Anatomy" and "Love Island".
And she's just announced an exciting show in Belfast, at Limelight 2 on Thursday 10th November 2022.
A unique talent, she manages to produce a sound which captures the Celtic heart of music along with a blood flow of pop, haunting powerful ballads. Her songwriting comes from the heart and she has written about heartbreak, family, falling in love, regret and revenge.

Bowling for Soup - Telegraph Building - Friday 2nd December

Following their 2019 SOLD OUT Belfast show and having released ten studio albums during their most active years, Bowling for Soup have no shortage of material to perform at their upcoming Telegraph Building gig on Friday 2nd December 2022.

Westlife - SSE Arena Belfast - Thursday 15th, Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th December

Due to PHENOMENAL demand, Irish pop sensations Westlife are set to play FOUR dates in Belfast this December! The Wild Dreams Tour support's the group's 2021 album, following a run of outdoor shows across the UK and Ireland this summer.

Read more:

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Kevin Hart's upcoming SSE Arena show is 'phone-free'

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