Tips for purchasing eTickets

Don’t get scammed this Carnival with fraudulent social media accounts or fake emails selling eTickets at lower than regular prices.

Since we were forced to move business operations online due to COVID pandemic, cyber criminals have taken that opportunity to pounce on organizations who were not ready for online work. We can easily see a massive increase in spam or phishing emails which is the current tool of choice for cyber criminals.

The risks for purchasing eTickets are similar to any other online purchase. You run the risk of purchasing from a fake entity that is, an entity pretending to be a fete promoter for example. CyberSafeTT has received reports of fake Instagram accounts bring created with the same logo and almost same name as some event promoters, just that the fakes one may have an underscore at the end.

Individuals can also run the risk of being scammed by other individuals pretending to have eTickets for resale. Some eTickets are easily forged however, some do carry very unique and strong security features.

Lastly, even if the promoter is legitimate and the purchase is valid, you can run the risk of having your credit card details compromised if the promoted did not set up a secure website for those eTicket transactions.

The first thing you want to look at is the website address and if there is a lock icon to the left of the address and if the address begins with https. This shows that the site is secure. Secondly you want to be aware if you are taken to another website to pay for tickets. That other website should also use https and display the lock icon.

Some Antivirus Software such as Norton 360 Premium offer real-time threat protection which protects against existing and emerging malware threats, including ransomware and viruses, and it won’t slow down your device performance

If the site offers the option to pay with PayPal then take that route instead of entering your credit card info directly on the website.

Lastly, after the purchase has been made, and if you don’t absolutely need to keep your account on the site, I would recommend to delete your information so that you don’t have any identifiable information saved on a site that you’d probably only visit once for the year.

Facebook marketplace scams is a very unfortunate occurrence and has been happening for some time. There are going to be many entrepreuners legitimately plying their trade on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok etc, and you have to be very diligent when conducting business with them. There will always be a level of risk involved that you can’t mitigate but you should trust your gut instinct in these situations.

When making online purchases, if something seems to be off or if something seems to be too good to be true, either do some more research before engaging or don’t engage at all. Avoid meeting strangers in person to conduct transactions.

Request delivery or carrier services in marked vehicles with uniformed employees.

If you must meet up with someone, do not go by yourself, and let it be in an open space. Ensure you have the product in hand and is inspected before handing over payment. You must diligent when spending our hard earned money.