‘Like flies to a picnic’: Online scammers targeting sold-out Melbourne shows and events
Fraud investigators are warning that major Melbourne shows are being eyed by online scammers, warning fans to watch for new AI strategies used to fool those desperate for sold-out tickets.
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Melbourne shows by some of the world’s biggest acts and the city’s prized sporting events will already be hungrily eyed by online scammers, fraud investigators say.
They say this year’s big concerts by Kylie Minogue, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Oasis and Katy Perry will be in the sights of the rip-off merchants who are increasingly zeroing in on major ticketed events.
It is a certainty March’s Australian Formula One Grand Prix would be a target, along with looming shows by Drake, Metallica, Bryan Adams and Green Day, former Australian Federal Police officer Chris Sheehan said.
Mr Sheehan, who is now National Australia Bank’s group investigations executive, said it was a simple playbook for the scammers.
They would offer the tickets at a big price as availability thinned out or the event was sold-out, preying on “FOMO” (fear of missing out).
“They sit and wait until these events are coming to Australia,” Mr Sheehan said.
“These are camp followers who are just scammers. Taylor Swift was an economic boon for the scammers. It’s like flies to a picnic.”
Mr Sheehan said banks were able to retrieve money in only a small fraction of cases once the transfer is made.
He said the message for fans wanting to avoid paying for tickets that never arrive was the same as that which applies more broadly.
“Don’t press send until you’re absolutely sure. Take your time,” Mr Sheehan said.
“Only buy tickets from a reputable seller. You’re better off not getting tickets at all.”
Mr Sheehan said most of the cons were sitting at home on laptops and operating from three main zones, South-East Asia, eastern Europe and India, sweeping through millions of potential victims.
He said the shysters knew how to quickly win trust and had an array of tricks to help them achieve their ends.
“That’s the skill. If these people were in legitimate sales, they’d probably be highly successful,” Mr Sheehan said.
The damage they do is not just in ripping-off consumers.
Mr Sheehan said the groups in control were often involved in high-level organised crime activity such as human trafficking.
They viewed online scamming as low-cost and high-reward with minimal risk attached.
Mr Sheehan said there was no doubt big social media companies could do more to deter the criminals involved.
He said those organisations had made it clear they could take down material when it suited and that same rigour should be applied to those using platforms to steal.
“They talk a lot about these things but I’m yet to see the tangible outcomes,” Mr Sheehan said.
“I don’t think they’re doing enough in that space.”
There are other rip-off methods Mr Sheehan said consumers needed to watch for in the next 12 months.
He said advances in artificial intelligence had the potential to make it easier to create fake images of people to support extortion activity.
Voice-mimicking techniques were improving to the point where an accurate replica could be created in seconds.
Cryptocurrency and so-called “bucket-list” scams, in which operators sell non-existent dream travel packages, are also expected to increase in the coming year, NAB says.
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