Policing concert tickets for sale over the Internet is a nightmare. In 2006 there was a flash fire of news media interest in fake concert tickets. In the manner of modern media there was a sudden flurry of reports of the ‘human interest’ kind with live music fans shown to have been conned out of their money. It is of course all yesterdays’ news now and you could be forgiven for thinking it is all over. However, it isn’t. Thousands of fans had spent hundreds of dollars for concert tickets that never came and in most cases they had no hope of redress or refund. Nobody has been brought to book and one such concert ticket agency called Ticket Tout Ltd. went bankrupt owing around 2 million dollars to thousands of innocent customers. These concert ticket con artists resurfaced as Londonticketmarket. com and began their rich picking routine all over again. How the concert tickets scam works. You will be tempted by offers of the hot concert tickets for the top acts, but find that can’t get through to buy them. Or they may have sold out weeks previously but of course you still hope to go, especially if they are premium concert tickets, the best in the house. The concert tickets scam artists promise, on a very business-like website to get you the concert tickets of your dreams for a price well over their face value. They claim to have concert tickets available. So you flash your credit card, book your trip and your overnight stay maybe, but the concert tickets never arrive. Of course you chase down the concert tickets vendor but the phone goes unanswered by any real person and your emails go astray. Sometimes you would meet stalling tactics but the concert tickets never show up unlike the debit on your credit card statement. How to guarantee your concert tickets. The easiest way to avoid being burnt by the concert tickets scam is to watch out for and not to buy concert tickets from vendors like these. Register in advance with only official agencies. However, for the occasional concert tickets buyer this may not always be practical. So before paying too much for your concert tickets, check out the selling agent. Where is their office? Look for a proper landline number in this country? Where these are not listed on the website beware. The address to should be a genuine street address, not a mailbox number. Take the time to check these things and don’t be blinded by the thought of your concert tickets and favorite artistes. Do a Google search for any reviews of the vendors. Shop around for the going rate for your particular concert tickets. Are they available for less elsewhere? A clear indicator of dirty work is if one company is offering tickets for a concert otherwise sold out. Be very suspicious. Buy only with a credit card. There is always a chance of regaining your money. Not just concert tickets but any purchase online should be via sites that offer encrypted payment. You can always tell these because there will be a closed padlock icon at the bottom of the payment page and the web address at the top of the browser window should begin https://. The “s” meaning secure. Read the terms and conditions with regard to refund in case the concert tickets become invalidated for whatever reason. Also be sure to know how and when the tickets will be delivered, and what seats you’re buying. Try to avoid buying tickets for concerts at online auction sites such as eBay. All too often these are not concert tickets at all.