19-Year-Old Perth Woman Guilty Of Selling $10,000 Of Fake Concert Tickets

Hannah Rebecca Valentine

19-year-old Perth woman Hannah Rebecca Valentine has pleaded guilty to fraud for selling fake concert and festival tickets to unlucky punters, after netting almost $10,000 in profits.

According to reports from ABC News, WA Police say that Valentine had been selling fraudulent tickets on sites like Gumtree and Facebook, under a variety of a variety of aliases.

Senior Constable Fraser Munro said that after receiving funds via bank transfer, Valentine would send fake or altered tickets to victims, or sometimes would send nothing at all.

Australian indie musician Brendan Maclean told Pedestrian that he’s seen the results of dodgy ticket sellers first-hand while doing box office work, and turning punters away is the saddest part of the job.

“You get parents bringing their kids to their first concert or a musical only to be told at the door their tickets are void,” he said, adding that people buying tickets to sold-out shows are most likely to fall victim to scams.

Maclean went on to say that dodgy tickets are harmful for the industry as well as punters, and that sites that push their way to the top of search engine rankings can trump the expensive advertising that artists themselves pay for.

He explained that it’s worth telling your less tech-savvy mates and relatives that the first result to pop up on Google is not guaranteed to be legit, and continued:

“It’s a real worry for everyone – artists, venues and punters alike – it’s theft of not only your money but experiencing music and considering the climate the last thing we need to have is another excuse for people not to be attending live music. And the last thing I want as an artist is my fans being ripped off.”

Live Performance Australia, the peak body for the local live performance industry, estimates that online scams cost Aussies close to $300 million per year, with a chunk of that coming from fake and fraudulent event tickets.

Chief Executive Evelyn Richardson warns consumers to be careful in ensuring they are not misled or ripped off by dodgy sellers, saying:

“A key message to all fans is buy from the ‘authorised seller’ for the event you want to attend. We’re increasingly hearing from consumers buying from resale sites and paying way above the face value of the ticket not knowing that they could still buy tickets through the authorised seller or that they got to the venue only to find out the ticket they bought was fake.”

The group has published a guide for consumers with tips on how to avoid getting fooled by fake ticket sales, telling concert-goers to make sure they are buying from authorised sellers, and to be wary of search engine results from re-sellers who might have paid to improve their search ranking.

Fake ticket-sellers can be reported to the ACCC as well as various state consumer affairs bodies like NSW Fair Trading and Consumer Affairs Victoria. A full list of these available on the LPA consumer guide.

Per listings from the Magistrates Court of Western Australia, Hannah Rebecca Valentine pleaded guilty to 28 charges of gaining benefits by fraud, and is due to appear for a pre-sentence report hearing on March 18.

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