Online ticket fraudsters rip off T in the Park music fans

MUSIC fans in the Lothians have been ripped off by online fraudsters offering tickets for T in the Park on websites including eBay and Gumtree.

Police issued a warning to fans to be on their guard against the con artists following a number of complaints made to fraud officers,

Fraudsters are targeting the websites to advertise tickets for sale privately, normally in multiples of up to four tickets. One unsuspecting member of the public paid approximately 760 for four non-existent tickets. The fraudsters typically ask the buyer for a bank transfer into an account which they have gained access to, either by threatening the account holder, or by offering cash.

On some occasions the fraudsters tell the buyer that they will meet them outside the venue to hand over the tickets, but never appear.

A police spokesman said: "The summer festival season normally sees a rise in this kind of online scam."