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Internet tickets scam hits JLS boyband fans
A BUXTON mother claims she has fallen foul of an internet scam after purchasing tickets for her daughter and friends to see boyband JLS.
Debbie Murray bought two pairs of tickets to see the former X Factor finalists at the Manchester Apollo, as a Christmas and birthday treat for 14-year-old Sophie.
She purchased them through the company Magnitude Events, paying a total of 170, but the tickets have failed to arrive.
Debbie, of North Road, said: "I am absolutely gutted to have lost this money, but also disappointed because I have had to tell the girls they won't be going to see JLS after all."
She originally visited the Magnitude Events website www.magnitudeevents.com, which has since been disabled, after other ticket providers sold out for the Saturday night gig.
Debbie was given account details into which she paid the money, and later received an order number and confirmation via email which said the tickets would be shipped seven to ten days before the event.
"More and more, as the time went on, I became increasingly suspicious. I was assured by friends that this procedure can be quite common so I hoped my suspicions were wrong," she said.
"But last week was the time I expected to receive them. I tried to trace a phone number for them off their home page, but instead noticed big headlines on Google about Magnitude Events being a scam. Lots of people seem to have fallen foul of this.
"I cannot believe they have been able to do this, and people need to be made aware of it.
"You don't think it will happen to you until it does. I'll certainly be a lot more sceptical in the future."
Debbie has now written to Magnitude Events, requesting a refund, and has also reported the incident to police.
Police probe has begun
Sussex Police, alongside East Sussex County Council Trading Standards, are investigating the Magnitude Events website, after around 50 complaints were received from people who paid for concert tickets and not received them.
Detectives have visited the company's registered offices in Hastings, but found only disused sheltered accommodation buildings.
A Sussex Police spokesperson said: "The problem came to light over the weekend of January 23/24 when the website was shut down. A number of customers did not receive tickets for concerts that have now passed, but we are concerned that a greater number who are expecting tickets for events well into 2010 are not yet aware that they might be victims of a fraud."
A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council added: "We would ask people to be careful when booking online tickets and to watch out for possible scams.
"If in doubt, people can contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or visit www.consumerdirect.co.uk for advice."
Anyone who has information about the website, or believes they may have been the victim of ticketing fraud, should contact Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999, quoting Op Magnitude.DERBYSHIRE County Council is advising people to exercise caution when buying tickets over the internet.
A spokesperson said: "There are a considerable number of ticket scams in existence, many of which are based outside the UK. Following the advice below may help avoid the expense and upset of falling prey to one of these scams."
Beware of sites selling tickets to events that haven't gone on sale or that guarantee tickets to events that have been sold out for months.
Put the website name into a search engine like Google to see what you can find out.
Make sure the company behind the website provides a full street address for their business, not just a Post Office or mail box number. And try its UK landline phone number. Be wary of buying from a site that only gives an email address or mobile phone number.
Ask for details. What type of seat/ticket are you buying? What is the face value of the ticket? How much is the ticket being sold for, and are there any additional charges? When will the ticket be dispatched and how will you be notified? What happens if things go wrong? What is the company's policy on refunds?
Pay for tickets by credit card. Under the Consumer Credit Act, your card issuer is jointly liable for the failure to provide goods or services if the cash price of a single ticket is over 100.
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. However, you may still be able to ask for money back under the 'chargeback' procedure operated by members of the Visa and Mastercard schemes. Ask your bank if this is possible.
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Weather for Buxton
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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