Rise in ticket fraud expected ahead of major festivals as scammers target twentysomethings
Major events including Electric Picnic, Longitude, and All Together Now are scheduled to take place. And there's been an increase in ticket fraud as events approach.
George Foley, of ESET Ireland, an internet security company, said: 'We're seeing a worrying rise in scam activity targeting festivalgoers, especially young people in their 20s.
"Fake ticketing websites and bogus resellers on social media are exploiting the rush for last-minute deals. It's vital to resist the temptation of seemingly good offers from unofficial sources; they're often too good to be true.'
The company advised consumers: Always buy from official platforms, the venue or the artist's verified site; avoid taking ticket screenshots, as they can be easily duplicated; look for modern security features, such as moving barcodes or Apple/Google Wallet integration; be cautious of sellers who use generic emails or make urgent requests for bank transfers.
'Cybercriminals know that excitement can override caution,' Mr Foley said. 'With organised gangs making serious money off fake tickets, it's crucial to slow down, verify, and only buy from trusted sources.'
The internet security expert warned young people to think twice before letting the idea of a 'dream gig' turning into a 'costly mistake.'
In the UK, victims lost over €1 million in 2024 to concert ticket scams. ESET said there are 'similar patterns expected in Ireland'.
Gardaí advised consumers who believe they've been the victim of an online scam to report it to their local garda station and to use an online reporting service if they were scammed on a website or forum.
"When reporting to your local gardaí, bring copies of all emails, account details, copies of the advertisement of online posting and any other relevant information you may have,' gardaí said.
Some of the biggest events of the summer include Oasis at Croke Park, which is takes place on August 16 and 17. A lot of fans missed out on tickets when they went on sale. While Electric Picnic will take place in Stradbally, Co Laois, from August 29 to 31, the line up includes a number of high profile acts such as Chappell Roan, Sam Fender, Hozier and Kings of Leon.
Ticketmaster has also issued safety advice ahead of concerts and events. The company stated the best way to secure genuine tickets is to buy them via an official ticketing agent or venue. The company also advised that fans should always check artists' official websites to see where official tickets are listed.
Consumers were also advised to avoid buying tickets on social media platforms and from unverified sellers. Those tickets are often duplicates or fake.
People should also avoid buying tickets before events have been officially announced and double check website addresses to make sure the website is not fake. Fraudulent websites are mimicking websites but one click on the address will identify if the site is realm Ticketmaster advised.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
'Rogue' who sold fake Electric Picnic tickets to unsuspecting victim avoids jail
Sean Carroll (31) with an address at Tara Hill Crescent, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14, pleaded guilty in the District Court to theft contrary to section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. The court heard that on July 26, 2019, Carroll arranged through Facebook to meet a man on Henry Street in Dublin, where the injured party handed over €550 for tickets to the music festival Electric Picnic. These tickets turned out to be fake and the stolen money was never recovered. Carroll has 28 previous convictions, including those for theft and attempted robbery. Defence counsel for Carroll, Róisín Burnside BL, told the District Court Appeals Court that her client has undertaken treatment for drug addiction and is now free of drugs and alcohol. Judge Jonathan Dunphy noted that 'Henry Street seems to be full of people selling Longitude tickets'. He asked if the defendant understood how long the injured party would have had to save up for the tickets, only for the money to go to 'some rogue'. Judge Dunphy decided to increase the original sentence from six months to ten months, but fully suspended it for two years on the condition that Carroll keeps the peace and continues with his treatment. "If he comes back before me, I'll activate every second of that ten months," Judge Dunphy said.
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ireland event guide: Lana Del Rey, Alanis Morissette and the other best things to do this week
Event of the week Lana Del Rey Monday, June 30th, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, 5pm, €176.75/€126.25/€106.25/€89.50 (sold out) The queen of noir romance and melancholia returns for her biggest headline appearance in Ireland. It's perhaps a risk to bring her predominantly languid, low-key style to as enormous a setting as the Aviva Stadium, which is better suited to banger-oriented pop and rock. But Del Rey is used to big venues: when she played at the 3Arena in Dublin in 2023, it became a full-throttle love-in, the crowd belting out the lyrics to every song she performed. That show, which she announced only 10 days in advance, also featured a swirl of vocalists and backing dancers, there to make it more of a spectacle. So expect something similar on this short tour of Ireland and Britain, plus, with luck, some of the tracks from Del Rey's upcoming album. Gigs Alanis Morissette Sunday, June 29th, Malahide Castle, Co Dublin, 4pm, €69.90/€59.90; Monday, June 30th, Belsonic, Belfast, 4pm, £81/£71, Thirty years ago this month the Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette released her game-changing third album, Jagged Little Pill. Its explicit confessional thrust is viewed not only as a landmark moment for the music industry but also as a significant influence on emerging female acts, inspiring them to more forcefully voice their opinions. There is still a lot to be angry about, Morissette recently told Elle magazine, 'except now we're conscientious as fuck.' Support comes from the US songwriter Liz Phair (one of Morissette's pivotal early influences) and the ensemble group Irish Women in Harmony. Joe Bonamassa plays Rory Gallagher From Tuesday, July 1st, until Thursday, July 3rd, Live at the Marquee, Cork, 8pm, €82.55/€77.55, Arriving shortly after the 30th anniversary of Rory Gallagher 's death, these three shows pay tribute to one of Ireland's earliest internationally successful rock stars. Gallagher's influence on future generations of guitarists runs from Brian May of Queen and the Edge of U2 to Johnny Marr of The Smiths and James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers. Joe Bonamassa – 'arguably the world's biggest blues guitarist,' according to Guitar World – also fell under the spell of Gallagher's artistry, and these shows will see the US musician rip through selections from the guitarist's back catalogue. Special guests include Gallagher's long-standing bandmate Gerry McEvoy. Stage The Pillowman From Friday, July 4th (previews until Wednesday, July 9th), until Sunday, September 7th, Gate Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €26.50, Martin McDonagh's Tony-nominated play from 2003 was revived in 2023 for a 12-week run in the West End of London, and the following year at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Now it's the turn of the Gate, in Dublin, to tell the sometimes unsavoury story of two brothers, Katurian (Fra Fee) and Michal (Ryan Dylan), and their dysfunctional family background. The Olivier Award winner Lyndsey Turner directs. Aidan McArdle, Julian Moore-Cook and Jade O'Connor also feature. READ MORE Festival Kaleidoscope From Friday, July 4th, until Sunday, July 6th, Russborough House, Blessington, Co Wicklow, 1pm, €97.55/€72.55/€56.25, Jerry Fish Ireland's largest family-friendly summer festival returns with a mix of UK bands (Texas, Ocean Colour Scene), Irish acts (The Coronas, Riptide Movement, Hermitage Green, Jerry Fish), DJs (the Line of Duty actor Vicky McClure, Kelly-Anne Byrne, Calum Kieran) and an abundance of kids-oriented activities. These include a mini disco, children's yoga, movie time, interactive workshops, circus, a reptile zoo, science and design. Literature Happy Ever After: Falling in Love with Irish Romance Fiction From Friday, July 4th, until November, Museum of Literature Ireland, Dublin, Happy Ever After: Falling in Love with Irish Romance Fiction The forgotten history of (and regular snide commentary on) Irish romance fiction is explored in this exhibition, which features work by pioneering writers (including Lady Morgan, Rosa Mulholland, Maeve Binchy and Edna O'Brien) and contemporary authors (including Deirdre Purcell, Kate Kerrigan, Patricia Scanlan, Marian Keyes, Sally Rooney and Cecelia Ahern). The exhibition is curated by Paige Reynolds, professor of English at Holy Cross College, in Massachusetts, and author of Modernism in Irish Women's Contemporary Writing: The Stubborn Mode. Exhibition From Dickie to Richard: Richard Harris – Role of a Lifetime From Friday, July 4th, until Sunday, November 16th, Hunt Museum, Limerick, €12.50/€10 (under 16s free), Drawing on the extraordinary family archive that was donated to University College Cork in 2022, this exhibition celebrates the formidable life and career of the Limerick actor Richard Harris. All key points are covered, from his Oscar-nominated breakthrough performance, in the 1963 kitchen sink drama This Sporting Life, and his roles in Camelot (1967), The Field (1990), Unforgiven (1992), the first two Harry Potter films (2001-2002), to his Grammy-winning career as a different kind of pop singer in the late 1960s. The actor's son, Jared Harris, will take part in a public interview nearby (at Belltable Arts Centre on Friday, July 4th, 6pm, €20) that will be followed by a screening of the documentary The Ghost of Richard Harris . Musical Only Fools and Horses From Tuesday, July 1st, until Saturday, July 5th, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, 7.30pm, €63.40/€52.30/€24.50, Only Fools and Horses: Paul Whitehouse Del Boy, Rodders and Grandad: one of the most beloved of UK sitcoms of the past 40 years arrives in Ireland from a four-year run in the West End of London. Based on John Sullivan's television series (and featuring a script and original music by Sullivan's son, Jim, and the highly regarded comic actor Paul Whitehouse), it promises to offer Trotter fans a celebratory knees-up and a lovely-jubbly feelgood factor. Still running Hibernacle at Orlagh House From Friday, July 4th, until Sunday, July 6th, Orlagh House, Rathfarnham, Dublin, 5pm, €65, Lisa Hannigan, from Tony Clayton-Lea for The Guide, Saturday, June 28, 2025. This three-day event at Orlagh House, an 18th-century Georgian mansion in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains, is a byword for quality. An outdoor stage and various nooks and crannies will host music acts such as Villagers, Pillow Queens, Lisa Hannigan, Ye Vagabonds, Wallis Bird and Ailbhe Reddy. Over-18s only. Book it this week New Ross Piano Festival, New Ross, Co Wexford, September 24th-28th, Write by the Sea, Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford, September 26th-28th, David McSavage, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, October 2nd, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Vicar Street, Dublin, October 7th,
Irish Daily Star
a day ago
- Irish Daily Star
I'm hooked on Apple TV+'s new crime drama despite problematic episode
Apple TV+'s latest crime drama commits what I perceive is the ultimate sin for a debut series, yet I find myself urging folks to give it a watch. Smoke has dropped its first two episodes, joining the ranks of Apple TV+'s high-end, original drama lineup that already includes titles like Your Friends and Neighbors, The Studio, Stick, Dope Thief, Murderbot, and Prime Target from earlier this year. That's quite the crowd of newbies vying for your screen time. As someone who critiques films and TV professionally, I get some early access to shows pre-release. So, just so you know, at the time of penning this, I've devoured the initial five episodes out of the nine-part season. Smoke is a slow burn until it gets going (Image: Apple) Keep in mind, three of those aren't even out for subscribers until July. This detail is key because if I had only seen the currently streaming premiere, I'd probably advise you to skip Smoke altogether. An early critique hailed Smoke as "nine great hours of television.", reports Wales Online . Here's the kicker: the critic must've binged the whole lot, because if they'd only seen the first couple of episodes, their tune might be different. Heads up, I'm about to share what goes down right at the start of Smoke. But hey, it might just convince you to fast-forward through the first 10 minutes or so. The series chronicles troubled detective Michelle Calderone, portrayed by Jurnee Smollett, who must join forces with arson expert Dave Gudsen, played by Taron Egerton, as they pursue two elusive serial arsonists. They find themselves enmeshed in a "twisted game of secrets and suspicions" as they delve into the crux of the frightening offenses. Drawing inspiration from real occurrences and the esteemed Firebug podcast, enthusiasts of the podcast will recognize where the narrative's critical turning point is headed. Launching a fresh series as it strives to carve out its characters, locale, concept, and convince viewers of its legitimacy is no small feat, encountering several pet peeves. Voiceover narration should be more than mere exhibition; it must authentically complement the visual storytelling, rather than indulging in pretentious reflections mirroring the show's theme. Another concern lies with erratic flashbacks; presenting past or future scenarios prior to identifying the temporal sequence can work effectively. However, juggling timelines incessantly risks obscuring the story's true genesis. Smoke plunges headfirst into these pitfalls. We're introduced to Taron Egerton's character amidst flames, ensnared within a burning structure, as his superfluous voiceover ruminates on conflagrations—and then, suddenly, he awakens! Similarly, when the series unveils our other lead, her background unfolds through sporadic, disjointed glimpses into the past. Despite the presence of these clichés, which is surprising given that the episode is written by seasoned scribe Dennis Lehane, I'd still urge most viewers to stick with it. We've arrived at one of the worst things a review could disclose to potential viewers: you'll need to endure the first two episodes before deciding if this show is your cup of tea. By the climactic scene of the second episode and its jaw-dropping plot twist, I've transitioned from wanting to throw in the towel to being hooked on what comes next. Taron Egerton in Smoke (Image: Apple) Starting from episode three, Egerton's fire investigator character evolves beyond just being an awful stepdad, revealing layers the show is gradually unmasking. Detective Calderone becomes intriguing when he's actually probing the central crime of the story rather than mulling over an affair, and I'm itching to uncover what's up with Ntare Mwine's Freddy Fasano. The series' weekly release schedule might pose a problem here, as it might be more enjoyable as a binge-watch. Smoke isn't the standout show of the year. It doesn't even top Apple's new series roster for 2025 (that honor goes to The Studio, in case you're curious), but I find myself irresistibly drawn to its intrigue, eager to see how it all wraps up and recommending it to anyone in search of a twist-filled crime drama. Smoke is streaming on Apple TV+.
