A specialist ticket fraud unit set up with the specific remit of tackling ticket fraud at the London Games is calling on the Government to introduce legislation around the resale of tickets to concerts and sporting events.
Operation Podium, which will be disbanded next month, has written a report, published today (February 19th), concluding that Government intervention is needed to promote transparency around ticket sales.
The report looks at three types of ticket crime, which are fraud, counterfeit and unauthorised ticket resellers, and sets out a number of recommendations on how this crime can be minimised through raising public awareness, closer collaboration with partners and the ticket industry.
Apart from the resale of football tickets for designated matches, the resale of tickets is not illegal. However, the report identifies the need for an open and transparent ticketing market underpinned by regulation and/or legislation, which will help consumers to understand who they are buying from and therefore better protect themselves against ticket crime.
The report recommends law enforcement to strengthen relationships with overseas website registrars and hosting companies in order to expedite website suspensions.
It also encourages victims of illegal ticketing to report suspected offences to the authorities and agencies such as Action Fraud to ascertain a more accurate picture of the scale of this crime and take appropriate action.
It concludes that the industry needs to build relationships with search engine companies, website hosts and registrars and the payments sector in order to prevent and mitigate ticket crime.
The report’s recommendations are based on Operation Podium’s findings over the last two and a half years and provide a basis for how a workable and effective model to continue tackling ticket crime across the UK can be developed.