Cardholders must take the necessary steps to protect cards and identities whenever they buy a ticket over the internet

(14/08/2009)

Following the announcement of an official code of conduct by the Office of Fair Trading and the Society of Ticket Agent Retailers to try to reduce fraudulent sales of concert and theatre tickets, life assistance company CPP urges cardholders to remain vigilant and exercise caution whenever they make purchases online.

Danny Harrison, ID theft expert from life assistance company CPP says: “We welcome the news that the OFT and Star are taking the threat of online fraud seriously. With many people buying tickets online for sporting events such as the Ashes, or for the summer music festival season, we urge all cardholders to remain vigilant when making purchases and to check the authenticity of the seller and website.

“As this code does not cover many online vendors including eBay and Gumtree where tickets can be bought and sold, it’s vital that we take the necessary steps to protect our cards and identities whenever we buy a ticket over the internet.

“Web fraudsters are getting increasingly sophisticated and we have seen a number of examples of our customers falling victim to ticketing scams, with tickets not arriving, or being fakes. We are advising people to make sure they check the authenticity of the ticketing site, log out of sites when finished and to avoid storing credit or debit card details online.”

Research by CPP shows:
o 40% think they are at risk of having personal information online
o A third think their bank accounts are at risk of being hacked into
o One in twenty think online security is an unnecessary cost

CPP top tips when purchasing tickets online:
* Make sure you check the authenticity of the site selling tickets. Most sites with secure transactions will have a padlock in the address bar
* Avoid storing credit or debit card details online
* Install anti-virus protection, which scans for malicious files that give the PC or notebook a virus
* Install anti-phishing tools, which identify phishing emails and links that trick users into giving away private information
* Install an active firewall, which updates and upgrades automatically, preventing hackers from gaining access to a PC or laptop
* Keep your personal information safe. If someone asks for your personal details ask yourself why they would need them – particularly for online enquiries
* Don’t write down PIN numbers, passwords, user names unless you absolutely have to do so, and if you do, keep them to yourself
* If you store personal information on your PC, install up-to-date security software
* If you make a purchase online which isn’t honoured, contact your bank for a statutory investigation form
* Remember the golden rule: identity thieves are experts at spotting an opportunity to steal your identity and all they need are a few personal details

Related topics:  Internet and Web security 

Print version | Email to a friend | Related articles

Data breaches: Trends, costs and best practices gives you all the latest information on securing personal and corporate data, key recommendations for immediate action to improve data security, and how to respond to data breaches.

Other Security news and resources