Ticketmaster Scams and How to Keep Yourself Safe

Americans love concerts and events. According to the “Online Event Ticketing Market Size and Share Analysis Source” report, consumers spend more than $80 billion on event tickets. That amount is expected to rise to almost $100 billion in the next five years. 

When you are engaged in financial transactions, the risk of scams increases. So, with the prevalence of buying, selling, and reselling tickets on the platform, there are various types of Ticketmaster scams to watch for, as reported through Ticketmaster reviews on PissedConsumer.com. 

Risks go even beyond trying to spot Ticketmaster scams that prey on consumers. The massive retailer also recently announced a significant data breach where hackers stole consumer data to sell on the dark web. Consumers have Ticketmaster questions, and many are demanding answers. 

Key Insights

• 63% of event tickets purchased in America are sold through Ticketmaster.
• Ticketmaster scams are on the rise, often taking the form of issues with reselling tickets or fake ticket purchases. 
• To best protect yourself, only buy and resell tickets through the official platform. Confirm all transactions include an official Ticketmaster email address, URL, or phone number before exchanging information or funds. 

How to Spot Ticketmaster Scams

Do you want to avoid consumer issues when buying tickets through Ticketmaster? Your first step is to learn how to spot scams to stay safe. They may happen through emails, social media, phone calls, fake websites, and even when meeting someone in person and inspecting tickets.

The typical warning signs of Ticketmaster scams include:

• Someone is pushing you to buy tickets off the Ticketmaster platform.
• Grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors in emails, on websites, or printed on tickets.
• Aggressive emails trying to sell you tickets.
• Offers on tickets that seem “too good to be true.”
• Emails or phone calls about “issues” with tickets.
• Third payment platforms or requests for payment only in cash or through gift cards.
• Tickets that are printed and being resold – digital tickets have fewer issues. 

Scams on Ticketmaster are frustrating – and expensive. That’s why it’s important to stay one step ahead of scammers. 

Most Common Ticketmaster Scams

Ticketmaster fraud is common, which means you must protect yourself. Your first level of protection is always understanding how scammers are playing the game, so you can simply opt out. 

Fake Ticketmaster customer service phone numbers

Denise Lanham had tickets to George Strait that she wanted to resell. She simply looked up the Ticketmaster phone number online and called the company using the number that showed up as the search result. Unfortunately for Ms. Lanham, she had called a fake number and ultimately lost $600 to the scammers who answered her call. The only thing that Ticketmaster could do in such a situation is:

 report the fake ticketmaster phone # to their security team and I should report to my local authorities.

Another consumer, taken in by a fake Ticketmaster phone number, explained their frustration on the PayPal community platform. The reviewer called a fake number found in a search engine for a Ticketmaster refund, only to wind up falling for a scam. In this case, a customer downloaded an app to the phone at the request of the scammer, but instead of a refund, the scammers removed more than £5600 from financial accounts.

Source: PayPal community

As the examples above show, fake Ticketmaster customer support numbers are a typical scam. Unfortunately, consumer experience tells us that there is little to no recourse if you call these numbers and fall for the scam.

To avoid Ticketmaster scams like these, your best option is to visit the official website or app. Contact Ticketmaster customer service and remove any risk of searching for a fake phone number. 

Fake Ticketmaster websites

Another common Ticketmaster scam is to set up a fake website that closely resembles Ticketmaster. For example, sometimes customers might accidentally type in the URL if they misspell “ticketmaster.com.” 

Officially, similar by-the-name websites may be billed as resell websites, but many customers disagree. One frustrated customer left feedback on reddit.com about his experience with a Ticketmaster-type website. According to the customer, “This site is a SCAM!” The customer purchased resell tickets, and the tickets never arrived despite the customer paying for them. Thankfully for the customer, they used a credit card and were able to report the fake Ticketmaster tickets as fraud.

Source: reddit.com

Fake “Ticketmaster” emails

Ticketmaster email scams are set up like most phishing or fraud emails. They might also include confirmation emails similar to the way one PissedConsumer user was scammed on Taylor Swift tickets. In review #5239399, the customer explained:

The person who scammed us even made it look like you send the mail and copied your mail code and all that stuff. She made it look like a Ticketmaster transfer

Ticketmaster email scams are so common that the provider has given detailed instructions to consumers about how to tell a real email from a spam or scam one. The best method of checking for authenticity is to be sure there is an authentic Ticketmaster email address in the “From” section of the emails you receive and the email domain is @ticketmaster.com. 

For example, this Reddit user received a confirmation email from “newsletter.app.ticketmaster.gmail.com” rather than from an official @ticketmaster.com email address.

Source: reddit.com

A similar inquiry from another Reddit user revealed that the confirmation email they received was simply a screenshot of someone else’s confirmation, not an actual confirmation email. The screenshot didn’t reveal the sending email address at all, which was suspicious as well.

Source: reddit.com

Other forum users helped spot the email scam thanks to the blurry images, the lack of the proper background, and the quality of the image itself. It’s essential to look closely at details like these to ensure an authentic purchase when checking emails for authenticity. 

Fake Ticketmaster Tickets

Sian Williams was part of a tremendous wave of Ticketmaster scams centered around the Taylor Swift Eras tour in the UK. Ms. Williams was put in touch with “a friend of a friend” about Taylor Swift tickets, only to learn that the screenshots she received of the tickets and seating chart were fake. 

Ms. Williams is not the only victim of Taylor Swift Eras ticket scams. Llyod’s Bank in London claims that more than 600 customers were recently scammed through various channels, and those customers have filed claims with the bank that more than £1 million has been lost to scammers. 

While Ms. Williams thought she could trust the person selling fake tickets, countless other online scammers are selling counterfeit tickets through social media platforms. Many hopeful would-be customers are contacted through social media platforms or see posts about tickets only to discover, after paying, that the seller was a scammer and the “tickets” were fakes.

One poster on Reddit got advice ahead of time, thankfully, and wound up avoiding a scam when a seller on Twitter tried to convince the buyer she had real Taylor Swift tickets, but the Reddit community helped point out the lack of authentic posts by the seller despite a convincing social media video. 

To help prevent issues with fake Ticketmaster tickets, most venues will now require digital tickets with a barcode that changes every few minutes. These tickets are digital and available only through the app. Despite this, some scammers will take screenshots of their tickets and sell them as fake ones. The barcode in the image will no longer work due to technological advances in the app itself. Be wary of tickets that arrive as images – they are highly likely to be fraudulent. 

Unconventional payment methods

Consumer insights tell us that many scammers like to use unconventional payment methods. This is true for Ticketmaster scammers as well. Remember that Ticketmaster and authorized resellers will require typical payment methods – not gift cards.

One school teacher learned about this Ticketmaster scam the hard way when she bought two tickets using gift cards and was still waiting for the tickets weeks later. In review #5388133, the customer wrote:

I've called back several times and now they are saying that I never paid for the tickets and owe them $415 more!!!

Unfortunately, there is no recourse for scams using unconventional payment methods, which is likely why scammers enjoy them so much. 

Ticketmaster refund scams

A Ticketmaster refund scam is simple. The customer calls for a refund on tickets, and the scammers – not the official site – require or heavily suggest buying gift cards for the refund. 

In review # 5784995, one PissedConsumer user shared their experience ordering a ticket, including insurance. When they called to cancel the ticket

someone on the phone said I would need to buy a gift card first!!! This is a huge scam!!! 

The reviewer was planning to contact their attorney to help resolve the issue with the Ticketmaster refund scam. 

Ticketmaster gift card scams

Ticketmaster gift card scams are often associated with refund scams. Scammers request gift card purchases as part of the refund or purchase process, and after getting the gift card information, tickets are never purchased, and the amount on the gift card is stolen by the scammers. 

Another possible Ticketmaster gift card scam involves using an authentic gift card to purchase tickets through a scam call. Unsuspecting buyers, like a consumer who wrote a review #5556308 on the PissedConsumer platform, used a gift card to buy tickets over the phone. Unfortunately, the person they were speaking to was a scammer who impersonated Ticketmaster, took the funds, and failed to provide the tickets:

I purchased the gift card and added $410.25 to purchase tickets…This morning I did not receive the tickets and the balance on the gift card in now only $6.15.

How to Avoid Ticketmaster Scams

To avoid Ticketmaster scams, your best choice is to work through the official platform (but first, check that it’s not a dupe site). Other tips include:

• Don’t click on links in Ticketmaster email, but type in the URL for Ticketmaster.com instead. This will avoid Ticketmaster phishing email scams. 
• Only buy resell tickets from authorized sellers through the platform (you can check seller profiles). 
• Use a credit card to buy that includes consumer protection should you need to file a chargeback if you realize you wound up with fake Ticketmaster tickets. 
• Check the URL in sender messages and emails to be sure they are emails ending in @ticketmaster.com.
• Never accept tickets as images – print-at-home tickets will be delivered via PDF.
• Avoid making purchases or contacting unknown people through social media posts about reselling tickets. 

Victims of scams offer others advice as well through their Ticketmaster reviews. In review #5357006, one consumer suggests:

Make sure the contact information is correct and under no circumstances send any money. If they call you hang up or tell them you will alert the authorities

Steps to Take After Ticketmaster Scams

If you find you’ve been scammed in a Ticketmaster scam, you may still have some options.

1. Contact Ticketmaster customer service

In some cases, Ticketmaster may be able to help resolve the issue. You can call Ticketmaster customer service at 1-800-653-8000. The operational hours are Monday through Friday from 9 am to 8.30 pm (local time). On Saturday, support representatives are available from 9 am to 7 pm (local time), and on Sunday, from 9 am to 6 pm (local time). 

If you already have tickets and need assistance, you can use the Ticketmaster chat. Log into your account, find your order, and select the “Chat” button. Online virtual assistant is available 24/7, while agent support works from 9 am to midnight ET. 

2. Contact the Federal Trade Commission

The FTC, or Federal Trade Commission, is a consumer protection agency and may be able to help with the issue, or at least warn others or prosecute the scammers.

3. Contact your credit card company

If you made your Ticketmaster ticket purchase using your credit card, you can report the fraud to the bank and initiate a chargeback to get your money back. 

4. Monitor your personal and financial information

If you’ve been scammed, there may be additional charges or changes to your personal and financial information. Set up credit and account monitoring and change your passwords on all platforms to help protect yourself. 

Keeping Yourself Safe with Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster scams happen, but most issues happen with ticket resellers and when customers feel pressured to make a quick purchase. To best protect yourself from the many types of Ticketmaster fraud, stick to the official platform (and double-check the URL to be sure it’s official) for both original and resale ticket options. 

If you do wind up with questions, concerns, or issues with fraud, you may write a review to warn others about your experience.