The OFT is encouraging consumers to make sure they check the legitimacy of a ticket-selling website before making a purchase.

One in twelve people admits to being a victim of a scam ticket website. This is the alarming figure from the Office of Fair Trading as it launches its ‘Just Tick It’ campaign warning consumers against fraudulent ticket websites.

An online survey of 3,000 UK consumers revealed that one in five people knows someone who has bought tickets to a music, sport or theatre event from a scam ticket website, and 80% of those victims have been conned in the last year, losing an average of £80 each.

The new campaign – ‘Just Tick It’ – already has a number of celebrity supporters from the sporting and music industries, including singer Kate Nash, Rugby Star Steve Borthwick and Dave Rowntree from Blur.

Kate Nash is tired of seeing her fans and friends getting conned: “I think it’s disgusting, scamming people who want to go to gigs and have a good time. They just get ripped off and disappointed, turning something positive into something negative. People should check that the website is legitimate before they buy their tickets.”

Consumers gave three primary reasons for unwittingly using the scam websites: 44% used them out of desperation; 40% were taken in by the excitement of finding the tickets online; and 32% were tricked by the legitimate and professional appearance of the websites.

Interestingly, the survey also revealed that men were twice as likely to be conned by the scams as women.

The OFT’s Mike Haley, said: “The ‘Just Tick It’ campaign gives ticket buyers valuable advice they need to help protect themselves from ticket scammers when buying online. Consumers can avoid falling victim in the first place by following our clear and simple advice on how to spot a scam site.”

The OFT has published a series of guidelines for the ‘Just Tick It’ campaign to help consumers stay safe and avoid being ripped-off. Consumers simply need to visit the Consumer Direct website www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.