Rendering on theatre (4)

The article I’m going to discuss is entitled “Viagogo warns of rising number of ticket scams” It was published on guardian.co.uk by Rupert Jones on March 28st, 2013. The article reports at length that  ticket buyers more likely to be duped by fake ticket websites and other online sources than by a 'traditional' venue tout. The article takes a critical view of the ticket scams. They are "on the rise" with Britons being ripped off to the tune of £50m over the past year alone, according to a study.

It’s reported here that the research from ticket resale website Viagogo names Coldplay, the Rolling Stones and One Direction as the acts most targeted by fraudsters during the period, but its findings were disputed by a leading ticket fraud expert. Moreover, it added that people are now more likely to be duped by fake ticket websites, auction sites and via Facebook and Twitter than the "traditional" tout outside a venue.

It soon becomes clear that young people were most at risk, with 18-24-year-olds the most likely to buy from unknown online sources. However, Viagogo's findings were criticised by ticketing expert Reg Walker, who has been responsible for anti-counterfeiting operations at a number of major events. Walker, who is operations director of the Iridium Consultancy said that ticket fraud over the past 12 months had declined.

In this connection it’s also worth mentioning that he added that losses from fraud had fallen dramatically over the past three years, partly as a result of Operation Podium, the Metropolitan Police's dedicated team dealing with serious and organised crime affecting the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is currently being disbanded. A large part of the team's work was targeting those engaged in ticket crime. Walker said many fraudulent websites had had their online payment facilities switched off, making it harder for them to operate.

In resolute terms the author of the article praises that in November 2012 it was reported by the BBC and others that between 100 and 200 people were turned away from a Mumford & Sons gig in Portsmouth after being found to have fake tickets. Some had bought them on Viagogo. It’s made clear that Viagogo has also been at the centre of other controversies. It raised eyebrows when it moved its headquarters from London to Geneva in March 2012, and in November 2012, following a supreme court ruling, the company was ordered to hand over to the Rugby Football Union the names and addresses of people who sold-on tickets to England rugby matches via its website.

Frankly speaking, I cannot but agree with the author that spurious sells has spread all over the world. Our society must try to avoid and stop it, while these organizations should be strictly punished.