Colman’s Call: Scalpers ready to rob you

COLMAN’S CALL: Some sports fans have been suckered into purchasing Suncorp Stadium event tickets from unofficial sellers, and it’s about to get worse.

Queensland fans celebrating a State of Origin win at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: AAP

THE way they have been going this season you might think the Queensland Reds would have to pay you $54.20 to watch them play, but that’s what someone forked out to get into a recent game at Suncorp Stadium.

The grand total for five tickets was $272. It should have been $161, or $32.20, but the buyer was suckered into purchasing online from an unofficial seller.

It could have been worse though. They could have bought the four tickets recently advertised for the Jeff Horn-Manny Pacquiao fight at Suncorp on July 2.

They were a steal — literally — at $57,122.03 or a mere $14,280.51 each.

Depending on where they were, the real price should have been anywhere between $300 and $5000 each.

While you would think anyone who had that sort of money to throw around might have a few smarts, Suncorp Stadium general manager Alan Graham says the practice is rife, and with the likes of Horn-Pacquiao and State of Origin around the corner, it’s about to get worse.

The only licensed ticket seller for Suncorp Stadium is Ticketek. Picture: AAP

“Under Queensland Government anti-scalping legislation, people are only permitted to buy a certain number of tickets for personal use and, if for some reason they can’t use them, it is illegal to resell them for more than 10 per cent of their face value,” Graham said.

“That doesn’t stop them. We come across instances of scalping all the time.

“It is not up to us to take action against the scalpers, that is the government’s job. All we can do is warn people against buying from unlicensed sellers.

“If they do, they can be 100 per cent certain they will be paying over the odds, and there is no guarantee the ticket is legitimate, or that it will be honoured.”

Different venues have different ticket agencies. The only licensed ticket seller for Suncorp Stadium is Ticketek. Buy your Horn-Pacquiao or Origin tickets from anywhere else and you can be sure of only one thing — you’re going to be ripped off.

The internet has made it easier for unlicensed sellers to move the tickets, but also easier for the promoters to trace those that have been resold at exorbitant prices.

“There have been times when we have been told to cancel tickets and the promoter has reissued them with a different barcode. We’ve also had cases when the scalper has sold the same ticket several times,” Graham said.