Ticket scam hits Australian tourism businesses hard
Monday, 07 Apr, 2017
0
An elaborate ticketing scam has cost several Australian tourism operators thousands of dollars.
Fraudsters are using Chinese social networking site WeChat to sell discounted tickets to unsuspecting tourists using stolen credit cards.
The scheme has already cost operators more than A$400,000 in chargebacks.
According to Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Mark Stone, the complex scam was first discovered two months ago but may be much more widespread than originally thought.
"We’ve spoken to nine operators and this scam has cost them $400,000, but it is probably much more because it’s likely many operators are unaware of this scam and have therefore been caught out," he said.
"Eureka Skydeck, Mornington Peninsula Hot Springs and Sovereign Hill have been hit but that’s just the tip of the iceberg."
These companies are among several more that have been inundated by claims with Eureka Skydeck admitting it has been forced to repay A$22,000 worth of tickets.
It said 13% of all online ticket sales last month were fraudulent.
Chief executive of Sovereign Hill Jeremy Johnson said the scam is extremely difficult to combat.
"It’s hard to keep across all of it. It’s a very hard crime to prevent. You can’t just go down to the police station and report it. The Chinese online ticket sale market is huge," he said.
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TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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