If you love going to concerts or watching your favorite team play, purchasing tickets is part of that process…and, unfortunately, so is the risk of getting scammed. Back in 2018, nearly 12% of people buying concert tickets reported getting scammed, and seeing as online second-hand selling (especially via social media) has increased dramatically since then, it’s safe to assume that number hasn’t gone down. In fact, data from the U.K. alone showed that ticket sales scams resulted in buyers losing £9.7m in 2024.
When it comes to buying tickets, you’re likely going to find yourself on the Ticketmaster website (Ticketmaster has been responsible for over 80% of ticket sales in the U.S. since 1995). But, with ticket scams being so prevalent, it’s safe to wonder, “Is Ticketmaster legit?” The short answer is yes. But, in this article, we’ll go over some Ticketmaster scams and common types of Ticketmaster fraud so you can focus on the fun of going to an event, and not the misery of becoming a victim.
Is Ticketmaster Legit?
We already touched on this, but just to confirm: Ticketmaster is very legit. Any tickets you buy directly from Ticketmaster are sure to be authentic, including verified ticket resales through the platform. So, what’s with all the ticket scams? Well, scammers have found ways to indirectly use Ticketmaster’s reputation to help facilitate their scams through impersonation, third-party sites, and straight-up theft.
Who's Calling Me?
Search any phone number to learn more about the owner!
Common Ticketmaster Scams
Scammers use the Ticketmaster name to dupe ticket buyers and sellers into either coughing up money, tickets, or private information. If you’re looking to buy or sell tickets, here are common scams to look out for:
1. Fake and Duplicate Ticket Scams
Counterfeit tickets have probably been around nearly as long as tickets have existed. These days, barcodes and QR codes help venues ensure they’re only letting in valid ticketholders — which is great, unless you purchased tickets that looked legit, only to get turned away at the door when the scanner identifies your tickets as fake.
The way fake ticket scams work is usually through a reseller found via social media. These scammers will post screenshots of real tickets in their Ticketmaster account, but end up sending you fakes with invalid QR codes. After all, it’s pretty hard to eyeball the validity of a QR code.
Similarly, some scammers will sell copies of the same, real ticket to multiple people (once again, through social media or some other third-party websites). In this case, whoever arrives first at the venue gets in, while the rest get turned away at the door. Oftentimes, the seller never had the original, but was somehow able to get a copy in order to perform the scam.
2. Ticketmaster Clone Scams
Website cloning is a popular way for scammers to trick people by making them think they are on a legitimate website, but in fact, end up on a duplicate that provides scammers with all of the information users submit.
In this case, scammers duplicate the Ticketmaster website and either send phishing emails that redirect to the fake site or pay for their fraudulent site to show up towards the top of a Google search. Once users are on the fake site, they often attempt to log in, resulting in their real accounts being compromised. They could potentially even get all the way through to a fake checkout, which then also compromises any financial information that was entered.
3. Ticketmaster Support Scams
This scam is just straight-up phishing. Scammers will send emails that look like they are from Ticketmaster, often including some urgent messaging about your account being compromised, an issue with your upcoming event, or even an exclusive limited-time deal — all of which are bogus, of course.
Their goal is to get you to click on a link that is provided in the email, which then prompts you to enter your real account information, conveniently supplying that information directly to scammers.
This scam can also be performed via phone calls, but phishing emails are much more common.
4. Ticketmaster Account Theft
Piggybacking off the scams that result in your account being compromised, scammers will use successful phishing attempts to steal Ticketmaster accounts. They do this for a couple of reasons, like transferring any tickets on the account to use for themselves or (more likely) to sell or purchase tickets with saved financial information and then transferring those tickets to other accounts for resale.
While you should eventually be able to get your account back, it will be much harder to receive your tickets back, as fraudsters could continuously claim fraud as an excuse to make fake sales (once again, thanks a lot, scammers).
5. Ticket Theft
This one might seem so simple it’s silly, but scammers will potentially try to steal your tickets by having you send them a photo of the authentic tickets. They’ll do this by reaching out and asking for proof of the tickets, or claiming that they can’t see the tickets properly on Ticketmaster, and want a picture of the tickets. Then they simply duplicate the ticket with the real QR and either sell the duplicates or arrive early to get into the event themselves before you can scan your real tickets.
6. Third-Party Payments and Websites
Scammers know people love a deal, and they hate fees. They use this as an excuse to redirect buyers to third-party websites or payment methods, promising better prices and zero fees for side-stepping Ticketmaster’s verified ticket resale platform. While this can be enticing (especially for a sold-out event), it’s a classic case of too good to be true, where you send money and never receive tickets.
How to Stay Safe When Buying Tickets from Ticketmaster
Buying tickets shouldn’t be stressful, so, outside of keeping an eye out for the above scams, here are a few additional tips that should keep you safe when looking for tickets:
- Purchase tickets directly through Ticketmaster/authorized vendors (yes, even with the fees).
- Make sure you’re on the real website by checking the URL is secure and free of any abnormalities.
- Avoid buying tickets on social media.
- Use a payment method that offers protections like chargebacks.
- Avoid tickets that are being sold in exchange for gift cards or wire transfers.
- Never pay a fee to change the name on tickets or transfer tickets if they are supposedly on Ticketmaster.
Don’t Miss Your Ticket
Buying tickets through Ticketmaster should be (and usually is) a hassle-free experience. By staying vigilant of scammers, you should be able to steer clear of any headaches and enjoy your favorite band or sports team.
If your event happens to not be hosted through Ticketmaster, many of the above tips still apply. For local events, social media and local ticket groups might be your only viable option, in which case, one additional tip you can follow is to use a people search tool like Spokeo to verify the seller is who they say they are. By entering a name, phone number, or email address into Spokeo, a host of public information (including social media handles) can be provided, helping you to try to stay safe when buying tickets.
Cyrus Grant is a writer from Southern California with a background in law and dispute resolution. When he isn’t writing he can be found deep-diving into the latest technology trends or simply spending time at the beach.