Fans warned not to be let down by scam Rugby World Cup 2011 ticket offers

Rugby fans around the world are being urged to take care when purchasing tickets for Rugby World Cup 2011 as a result of a number of fraudulent and deceptive websites claiming to offer tournament tickets.

The Commerce Commission is working in close collaboration with members of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) and Rugby World Cup Limited to combat such scams and alert fans.

Rugby World Cup Limited Managing Director Mike Miller has welcomed action by the global network to crack down on fraudsters.

“We really appreciate the initiative of ICPEN in helping protect consumers from fraudulent and deceptive sales of Rugby World Cup 2011 tickets. We all have the common aim of protecting fans from around the world who simply want to enjoy rugby’s showcase event,” says Mr Miller.

Commerce Commission Enforcement Branch Manager Greg Allan says that big events such as the Rugby World Cup are irresistible to rip-off merchants and the global nature of the internet makes it easy for fraudsters to target consumers across borders.

“This makes international cooperation critical to identify these sites, warn consumers, and close down scam activity where possible,” said Mr Allan.

Consumers are being advised to be on the alert for fake ticketing websites that may fraudulently use official Rugby World Cup logos and images, and email scams that may falsely claim to be a part of a Rugby World Cup 2011 lottery, prize draw or competition, particularly where they ask for additional payments or personal information to secure tickets.

“Many of these scammers have sophisticated sites and systems in place and trick consumers into believing that they are dealing with authorised ticket sellers. The worst case scenario here is that people travel all the way to New Zealand to discover their tickets aren’t valid for any of the tournament matches,” said Mr Allan.

Fans should be aware that the official Rugby World Cup 2011 ticketing website is rugbyworldcup.com. Details of the tournament’s official travel and hospitality programme is available at rth2011.com.

ENDS

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