The rising tout problem

If something appears to be too good too be true it probably is.

Next time you see on twitter, or other social media, someone selling a Chelsea ticket beware – there are a lot of scammers out there! Don’t be deceived by the phrase “face value”… It is a clever way of making the seller appear genuine & honest. The sad fact is that the price is irrelevant as the ticket is unlikely to exist…. & the scammer is happy to take “face value” off as many mugs who are prepared to pay him as possible.

Getting a ticket to watch Chelsea play, both home & away, is becoming increasingly difficult. Demand way outstrips availability. Twitter is full of tales of woe, of people being locked in virtual box office waiting rooms, of loyalty points… & often disappointment. Buying a genuine ticket at source has become a bit of a lottery. So people become desperate & the scammers are circling overhead, like vultures, waiting to pick them off.

Take the example of my friend Owen. He was absolutely desperate for 3 tickets for Everton away. He messaged me to say that someone called “Chris” was selling some on twitter & what did I think. “Chris” had a new twitter a/c, only 2 followers (both people looking 4 tickets) & didn’t follow any players, news sites or fans.

His phone was “broken” so he couldn’t send a picture of the tickets or speak to anyone. He was “in hospital” …but wouldn’t say where. He wanted money transferring to his account (“face value” of course”)… The tickets would be sent by courier… Yeah right!

Dodgy! ..But Owen was tempted to do just in the small hope that these tickets might actually be real.

I have spoken to Graham Smith at the box office & he told me that the club are well aware of what goes on – particularity with regards to the internet. There are many websites selling tickets at vastly inflated prices. As soon as the club gets one site shut down another opens….& many operate off shore & therefore are not subject to UK law. He told me that it is heartbreaking sometimes when people, having often travelled great distances, show up with letters or emails telling them they can collect their tickets at the box office…. Tickets which don’t exist – but they have paid through the roof for.

Then, of course, there are the touts who brazenly hang out at Fulham Broadway or just outside the ground, often merely feet away from disinterested policemen. In a recent article in The Metro Kristian Downer said:

“These operators parasitically feed off the passion of fans from across the world to make a living reselling tickets well above face value.”

“The access these touts seem to have to regular tickets reduces the number of tickets fans can officially buy.”

Good point. How do they have access to all these tickets? Obviously some tickets are fake… But how do they get hold of so many genuine tickets? Of course, you are always going to get the occasional fan who will pass an unwanted ticket to a tout for a bit of cash… But not in the quantities on offer.

A popular theory is that these people have multiple memberships in multiple names. If these tickets could be seized then they could be traced back & the relevant memberships cancelled. Good idea, right? …But it’s massive task which neither the police nor the club have as a priority.

Ultimately the solution lies with us – the fans. If we stop buying from touts there will no longer be a market …& they will no longer make a living. If you want to report incidents of touting you can email the club at toutinfo@chelseafc.com.

We need to be strong.

Chelsea News