Fraudsters target rugby fans
Thousands of rugby fans may have been cheated out of tickets to the World Cup, thanks to a spate of frauds.
Many come in the form of fake lotteries or sweepstakes claiming to be connected with or authorised by Rugby World Cup 2015, Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) or World Rugby.
Fans are being contacted, mostly via email, and told that they've won tickets through an automated ballot - but that in order to claim, they need to pay an administrative fee or provide their personal details.
"This appears to be a classic lottery fraud that is using the good name of the Rugby World Cup to try and persuade people they have won a genuine competition," says detective chief inspector Andy Fyfe, from the City of London Police's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).
"It is very important that recipients of these scam emails do not make contact in any way with the sender and instead report to us, via Action Fraud."
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Meanwhile, after hundreds of complaints, the phone lines of ticket website getsporting.com have been shut down. The company has been offering World Cup tickets for sale, despite not being an official supplier.
However, because it's hosted overseas, the company's website is still up and running - and still offering tickets for sale. Many people may still be expecting to receive tickets; fraud expert Reg Walker tells the Mirror, "The site's victims are likely to be thousands."
So how can you avoid being ripped off when buying tickets online?
First, use your common sense. Is the vendor really likely to have genuine tickets to sell? In the case of the Rugby World Cup, there's an official checker tool.
Always check seller reviews - ideally, across a number of sites - and make sure the site gives give a name, address and contact number for the people running it.
And when paying online, only use sites which have a secure payment section, and use a credit card for tickets costing over £100, as this will allow you to claim your money back from the credit card company in the case of fraud. Never, ever, use a wire service to pay.
"Fan experience is at the heart of what promises to be a very special Rugby World Cup and we urge fans to be vigilant and contact Action Fraud immediately if any fraudulent activity is suspected," says World Rugby chairman Bernard Lapasset.
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