SolaceTix

How to avoid ticket scams

Updated 2026-10-22 · General information, not legal or financial advice. Rules change — check official sources linked below.

Ticket scams are common because demand is emotional and time-pressured. The good news: a few habits remove most of the risk.

Common scams

  • Social media “spare tickets”. A friendly post or DM offers tickets to a sold-out show. You pay by bank transfer or a payment app’s “friends and family” option, and the seller disappears.
  • Fake or copied tickets. A screenshot or PDF of a ticket that has already been sold to several people — or never existed.
  • Look-alike websites. Sites that copy a real seller’s branding or appear at the top of search results as ads, charging far more or delivering nothing.
  • Speculative listings. Tickets advertised before the seller actually has them. In some places (such as Ontario) it is illegal to sell tickets you don’t possess or control.
  • Phishing. Emails or texts “from” a ticket company asking you to log in or confirm payment details via a link.

Red flags

  • Payment only by bank transfer, gift cards, crypto or “friends and family” payments.
  • Pressure to pay now, or a story about why they can’t meet or use a platform.
  • Prices far below every other seller for a sold-out event.
  • A website address that is slightly misspelled, or a site you reached via an unfamiliar ad.
  • No clear company name, address or refund policy.

Safer ways to buy

  1. Start at the official seller listed on the artist’s, team’s or venue’s website.
  2. For resale, use established platforms with a buyer guarantee, or the event’s official fan-to-fan resale.
  3. Pay by credit card where you can. Many card issuers offer chargeback protection; in the UK, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act can give extra protection for purchases between £100 and £30,000 on a credit card.
  4. Type the address yourself or use a trusted link, and check you’re on the real site before entering card details.
  5. Keep everything: confirmation emails, listing screenshots, messages.
  6. Prefer mobile tickets transferred inside the official app over screenshots or PDFs.

SolaceTix only links to established sellers, and every “View deal” button takes you directly to the seller’s own site.

If something goes wrong

  • Contact the platform or seller first and use their guarantee process.
  • Contact your card issuer or bank quickly to ask about a chargeback or fraud claim.
  • Report it:

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