THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022 Page 11 Better Business Bureau says con artists are pretending to represent popular ticket seller Ticketmaster to scam concertgoers C oncerts are back! Bands are touring again, and ticket spending is back to pre-COVID-19 levels. This fact hasn’t gone unnoticed by scammers. Recent reports to the BBB Scam Tracker of the Better Business Bureau indicate that con artists are preying on concertgoers by pretending to represent popular ticket seller Ticketmaster. How the scam works: You are looking to buy tickets to an upcoming concert or need to transfer tickets for a show that was postponed due to COVID-19. You do an internet search HANEY | FROM Page 1 tan beaches,” said Representative Turco (D-Winthrop). “I join so many in thanking Carol for for your question, which brings up results for Ticketmaster. You click through to the website, and everything looks normal. The website prompts you to enter your personal information and a credit card number. However, as soon as you complete a transaction, you notice some suspicious activity. You might receive tickets with someone else’s name on them, or you may never receive your tickets at all. In other cases, you get the tickets, but the site charges you a much higher rate than advertised. Upon closer inspection, you rea leading advocate not only for Revere, but for all of our region’s public beaches,” said Mancini. “It’s been my pleasure to work with her on the Comalize you were not on the Ticketmaster site at all! It was a lookalike site with a similar name. When you call the customer service number, they are either unreachable, unhelpful or downright aggressive. One ticket buyer reported this experience: “They sent me two tickets with someone else’s name on them, and they also charged me three times the amount [of] the ticket price. I have no way to get a refund and no customer service to contact (except by email) because they do not answer their phone.” vast number of people who are there on a daily basis. I am so proud to have been a member of this commission since its inception in 2006,” said Haney. How to avoid event ticket scams • Purchase from the venue. The safest way to purchase event tickets is to go directly through the venue, either in person or through their offi cial website. The venue’s website may point you to Ticketmaster or another provider to complete your purchase, but you can be sure of having the correct website URL. • Check out the seller. If you purchase from a third-party company, make sure they are a reputable ticket vendor or reseller, not a ticket scalper. Check reviews on BBB.org. • Watch out for fake websites. Take a close look at the website’s URL to ensure there are no slight misspellings. Impostors like to make lookalike websites with domain names that are like well-known business names. This makes them hard to spot. • Use a safe payment method. Always make online purchases with your credit card. You can dispute fraudulent charges and have a better chance of getting your money back. For more information: Review BBB’s tips about ticket insurance and learn how to spot fake events. See tips from Ticketmaster for spotting scams. If you are the victim of a ticket scam, whether you lost money or not, report it! By sharing your experience at BBB.org/ScamTracker, you can help other concertgoers avoid common ticket scams. Carol Haney is shown with city and state offi cials and family members on Revere Beach as she holds her Citation from the Mass. House of Representatives honoring her 15 years of service as a Metropolitan Beaches Commissioner. her commitment and dedication in the past and the work that she will do in the future.” “The City of Revere is very fortunate to have Carol Haney as our representative working with state leaders and elected offi cials to advocate for the best interest of Revere Beach,” said Mayor Arrigo. “In addition to her advocacy and fundraising eff orts, Ms. Haney received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Revere Chamber of Commerce, a true testament to her investment in our community.” “As a founding member of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, Carol has been mission, and to jump into the cold, clean waters of Boston Harbor alongside her every year at the Shamrock Splash, where she singlehandedly has helped raise over $20,000 for free events and programs for kids and families. I would say I will miss working with Carol, but even though she’s stepping down from the Commission, I know she will continue to be there for us and our community.” “Thanks to the work of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, Revere Beach as well as the other metropolitan beaches, is a sanctuary for all to enjoy as is evidenced by the Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma
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