Consumer Protection officials block purchasers of fake AFL Grand Final tickets

Consumer Protection officers attended Saturday’s AFL Grand Final venue Optus Stadium to assist consumers who turned up to entry gates/box office with fake tickets purchased online and were therefore denied entry. There were five individuals or groups with a total of 12 fake tickets and $6,600 in losses. All were either purchased on Gumtree or eBay.

These reports are additional to the six ticket scam victims identified during the week who reported losing a total of $3,795.

Also during the week, Consumer Protection identified and ordered the removal of a total of 50 advertisements on Gumtree, eBay and social media that violated Western Australia’s new ticket scalping laws.

The Western Australian Government’s new anti-ticket scalping legislation - making the activity illegal in the state with heavy penalties for those who break the law - was passed in the state’s Parliament on 7th September.

The Ticket Scalping Bill 2021 will still allow the re-sales of concert and event tickets but will limit profit to 10% from the original price.It also outlaws the use of software designed to by-pass security measures to prevent bulk purchases.

In addition, advertising tickets for resale must also include the original price, seat and row number for the event.

Speaking on Western Australia’s new ticket scalping laws and ahead of the AFL Grand Final, Western Australia Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Gary Newcombe (pictured above) advised “in the lead-up to the AFL Grand Final – WA’s first major event since the new laws took effect – we have been proactively monitoring resale websites to ensure tickets are being advertised for resale in line with the legislation and we will investigate complaints received from consumers.

“Gone are the days in Western Australia where if you had your heart set on attending a sold-out event or concert you would have little choice but to fork-out hundreds of dollars more for a ticket than it was originally worth.

“This is because new ticket scalping laws have taken effect that restricts the resale of tickets to a maximum 10% mark-up from the original price. Also outlawed is the use of software known as ‘bots’ that bypass security measures to make bulk ticket purchases.

“Aside from putting restrictions on price gouging by ticket scalpers, re-sellers will also be required to identify the location of the seat or viewing spot for each ticket.

Commissioner Newcombe added “it is now Consumer Protection’s role to enforce the new measures and as Commissioner I have sent notices to seven online re-sellers advising them of the new laws and heavy penalties they could face for failing to comply. Fines ranging from $20,000 for individuals and $100,000 for companies await those who break the law, with even higher penalties applying for those using ‘bots’ to purchase tickets.

“While the new laws will go a long way towards ensuring fairer ticket prices in the resale market, our best advice is for consumers to only buy tickets from authorised sellers to protect their refund rights if the event is postponed or cancelled.

“Purchasing via re-sellers, particularly if they are based overseas, can be risky as people may find that their tickets are either invalid or fake and they are denied entry to the event when they turn up. Also remember that re-sellers often pay to be on top of internet search results, so look beyond them when searching online.

Consumer Protection advises that should anyone see tickets for resale which exceed the allowed 10% mark-up, or have issues with tickets they have purchased, to contact Consumer Protection on 1300 30 40 54 or consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au

Image top: Optus Stadium; image above Western Australia Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Gary Newcombe courtesy Government of Western Australia Dept Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety