Fake Olympics Tickets Leaving Many Spectators Stranded
Oh, 2008 Beijing Olympics, is there anything you can't get wrong ahead of the opening ceremonies? As if the stories over censorship, pollution, and human rights violations weren't enough, now comes word from Reuters that Internet ticketing scams for this year's Olympics are at an all-time high, leaving many people who paid good money for (supposedly) good seats with nothing.
Many of the online ticket vendors have been shut down, but others, such as BeijingTicketing.com, are still up and operational, leading many to accuse the organizers of ignoring the problem. Sadly, many of these fake tickets are sold as being available for pickup at the box office, meaning many people won't find out about the scam until they get there -- possibly after flying half-way around the world. Imagine traveling to China to find out not only that you've been scammed, but that the event you wanted to see is completely sold out!
Unfortunately, this message is coming through a little too late to help many folks, but is at least another reminder to be careful when you're typing in that credit card number. According to Xinhua News Agency, the Beijing Olympics organizers are recommending that people only buy tickets through legitimate vendors, such as the official Beijing Olympics Web site at www.tickets.beijing2008.cn. [Source: Reuters and Xinhua News Agency]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TVGenius @ Aug 4th 2008 4:00PM
Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait...... you're telling me there's counterfeiting going on in CHINA now? WHAT has this WORLD COME TO?
steve @ Aug 11th 2008 4:12PM
This happens everywhere, so the directed attack on China is a little fruitless. While compassion for the people who were duped is somewhat in order, you have to at least say they had it coming. They should have been aware of the possiblility when dealing with third parties. Why not buy tickets straight from the source? If you play with fire you will get burned if you are not careful.
Mauricio D. @ Aug 11th 2008 5:34PM
Big deal... It's nothing new!
snowball1251 @ Aug 11th 2008 6:09PM
If it is not conterfiting it is scalping. Swindlers make there money anyway they can