As ticket prices for concerts and sporting events continue to climb, more fans are looking beyond official sellers in search of cheaper deals, a decision that is increasingly leaving them vulnerable to scams.
A new survey by cybersecurity company Surfshark found that nearly one in three consumers have purchased event tickets from unofficial sources. Among those buyers, more than a quarter (26%) said they had received a fake ticket at least once.
The trend reflects the growing financial burden of attending major events, according to Tomas Stamulis, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark.
“With ticket prices soaring, attending a major event is no longer just a hobby — it is a big financial investment. That’s why millions of consumers are turning to social media, forums, and shady resale sites to save money. However, this pursuit of ‘great deals’ has created a lucrative environment for fraudsters,” he said.
Sports fans appear to be the most frequent targets of ticket scams, accounting for 35% of reported cases in the survey. Concertgoers followed at 25%.
The findings suggest scammers are succeeding because they exploit trust as much as they do bargain hunting.
Among respondents who bought tickets from unofficial vendors, 44% said the seller or website appeared legitimate, 37% were attracted by lower prices and 35% were persuaded by convincing advertisements or promotions.
According to Stamulis, advances in artificial intelligence are making fraudulent ticket schemes even more difficult to detect.
“Fake ticketing sites are particularly easy to create in times of artificial intelligence. New technologies allow fraudsters to create realistic websites, ticket purchase forms, event venue images, and authentic-sounding messages that are exceptionally difficult to distinguish from reality,” Stamulis said.
“Scammers are using professional-looking ads on social media and social engineering to make fake listings look very credible. When a fan sees a ‘sold out’ sign on a primary site and a ‘great deal’ on a social feed, their guard naturally drops,” he added.
The risks extend beyond losing money. In some situations, consumers may unknowingly become part of the problem themselves.
“In some countries, ticket resale is legal, which can make scams harder to spot. Even on long-established resale platforms, fraudulent sellers may appear and offer the same ticket multiple times or sell fake tickets altogether. In some cases, a buyer may unknowingly purchase a fake ticket and later try to resell it after prices rise, without realizing the ticket was never genuine in the first place,” Stamulis said.
For victims, speed is critical. Stamulis advises anyone who has entered payment information on a fraudulent ticketing site to immediately contact their bank, block their card, and review transactions for unauthorized activity.
He said the public should protect their finances immediately.
Stamulis advised victims who entered payment information on fraudulent ticketing websites to immediately contact their bank, block their payment card and review recent transactions for unauthorized activity. He also recommended using separate accounts or one-time virtual payment cards for future purchases to limit potential losse
“You should also report the incident to law enforcement as soon as possible. Most importantly, do not panic, preserve all evidence such as messages and emails, and under no circumstances comply with any further requests to send money,” he said.
“To avoid falling into similar scams, always verify that the payment details match the seller’s information and avoid paying in cash, as this can make it much harder to prove the transaction later,” Stamulis concluded.
The survey was conducted online between May 18 and 25, 2026, among 1,000 U.S. respondents. Participants were nearly evenly divided by gender and represented age groups ranging from 18 to 74.
