Buying tickets online can be tricky – especially for those highly-anticipated concerts or sports games that sell out in a matter of seconds. Scammers try to take advantage by selling nonexistent tickets on online marketplaces or social media, then disappearing with your money.

Protect yourself from online ticket scammers by following these tips:

• Buy tickets from official sources when possible. Sometimes the official ticketer sells out and resale is your only option. But primary ticket sellers like Ticketmaster, Seat Geek, or AXS are often the safest and most secure places to buy tickets, when possible.
  
  
• Avoid peer to peer payments. Never pay for tickets from a stranger with a peer-to-peer payments service like Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, or wire transfer. It’s almost always impossible to recover your lost money if the tickets end up being fake.
  
  
• Double check the URL. If you’re looking to buy from an official ticketer, make sure the URL is correct. Some spam sites may look just like the official site, but with slight variations in the web address.
  
  
• Stay away from tickets on social media. Only buy resale tickets from people you know – like friends, family, or coworkers. Be wary of strangers on social media platforms!
  
  If you do want to buy from someone you don’t know, always ask for the original purchase confirmation number.