As the festival season gets into full swing, the Belgian Ministry of the Economy (FPS Economy) announced on Friday that it has already noted an increase in fraudulent tickets or events being sold this year.
The ministry is urging people to only buy tickets from official event or ticket websites.
In 2022, the FPS Economy received 141 reports for a total declared amount of €13,141.76. Already in 2023, 82 consumers have reported problems, a number that the FPS expects to rise. "The festival season has only just begun and we can already speak of an upward trend."
The tickets bought through unofficial sales channels such as resale sites, fake websites or social media are often fake or copied, are not delivered after payment or simply do not exist.
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"Always buy your tickets on the official website of the event or artist," the FPS Economy is recommending. "Make sure you don't surf to the first sales site that appears at the top of Google search results and avoid buying tickets on social media or via personal sellers."
If a fake ticket is purchased, consumers risk losing their money. If the payment was made with a credit card, it is possible to try disputing the transaction via the macarte.be website. A complaint should also always be lodged with the local police and fraud should be reported to the FPS Economy Contact Point.
