‘Online gangs are making millions off ticket touting’

CRIMINALS are using ‘hundreds’ of fake IDs to rig ticket sales for concerts here, an expert touting investigator said yesterday.

Reg Walker said that gangs involved in European-wide touring scams include an Israeli gang.

As a result of touting, tickets for big gigs often sell for hundreds and thousands on secondary ticketing sites such as Seatwave, which is owned by Ticketmaster.

Seatwave and firms like Viagogo, which got State aid to open offices here, have been heavily criticised for facilitating secondary sales.

Mr Walker, who is operations director of security provider Iridium Consultancy, said gangs are using sophisticated software to bombard ticket sites, blocking out the consumer.

Before the real fan has a chance to buy a ticket, many are snapped up by the touts using hundreds of fake IDs, hundreds of different credit cards and fake IP addresses.

‘This is industrial harvesting of tickets to create a rigged market to ultimately hike up the price of tickets that fans have to pay,’ he said.

‘Ticket touting in the UK alone is a €1.1billion-a-year industry,’ he told RTÉ’s This Week.

‘We have come across touts that have literally hundreds and hundreds of identities and in some instances, several hundred credit cards. And with the use of this software and masking their ID, it’s very easy to fool some of these (ticket sales company) systems.

‘Some of the super touts are turning over upwards of €10.10million-ayear. It’s a guaranteed revenue stream and it’s virtually risk-free.’

He added: ‘We have substantial evidence of a very serious organised crime gang operating in the Dublin area which has business interests in Spain. (They) are basically financing some of the UK touts.’

Last night Fine Gael TD Noel Rock, who is behind anti-touting legislation, said he will meet Mr Walker to see what evidence he has.

That so many tickets for U2’s Croke Park on Saturday ended up on secondary websites is being probed by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

There are reports that some tickets sold for as much as €11,000.

An Irish Daily Mail poll earlier this month revealed that 86% of people want the Government to ban ticket touting.