Scalpers fined for selling seats illegally

Footy fans are being warned to keep their wits about them when purchasing tickets to this year’s footy finals, with police already dishing out fines to people caught illegally advertising seats for up to three times more than their retail price.

Footy fans have been warned to beware ticket scammers after a recent spate of rip off merchants targeting this year’s AFL finals.

At least six fines were this week issued to people illegally advertising seats to the blockbuster Collingwood-Geelong MCG final at inflated prices.

New scalper police hired by the State Government to protect fans, slapped the secondary ticket sellers with $826 fines for trying to take fans for a ride.

The fines were issued for trying to sell seats to the sold-out Collingwood-Cats clash for up to three times more than their retail price.

Footy fans enter the MCG for the Cats and the Collingwood showdown.

A further 40 ticket resellers were ordered to remove online listings for the Collingwood-Geelong match because they were in breach of laws carry fines of up to $495,660.

Sports Minister Martin Pakula told the Herald Sun “significant penalties’’ would continue to be handed out as a “deterrent to potential scalpers”.

“We’ve issued six scalping fines this week to people who were doing the wrong thing by trying to profit from the passion of footy fans,’’ he said.

“Our anti-scalping regimen is working, it’s deterring many people who might seek to sell tickets at an inflated price.

“And where people are not deterred, authorised officers monitor websites and in hundreds of cases they have forced illegal ads to be taken down.”

Fan have been warned to be weary of potential scammers.

Mr Pakula revealed more than 470 online ticket listings had been removed from secondary ticket selling platforms since new laws were introduced in June last year.

“While public education and active monitoring and intervention are the first steps, we will not shy from issuing fines where people refuse to do the right thing,’’ he said.

Under changes to the Major Events Act, it is now illegal to sell or advertise tickets to “declared events’’ including all Victorian AFL finals for sale for more than 10 per cent above face value.

Two infringement notices were issued in June to a US company busted for selling tickets to the men’s and women’s Australian Open for jacked up prices, with investigations continuing.

The company is accused of selling tickets to the men’s final worth $462 for $833 and seats to the women’s decider with a face value of $186 for $665.

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Footy finals, the Australian Open, Boxing Day Test and next year’s ICC T20 World Cup are among Victorian sports “declared” as off limits to scalpers under the legislation.

Musicals Shrek, Chicago, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child parts one and two, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Melbourne International Arts Festival are also protected by the laws.

Authorised ticketing officers monitor websites around the clock in search of secondary sellers in breach of the Act.

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