338. This is the number of fraudulent sites that were identified in March 2023 by gendarmerie cyber patrols. On alert as the 2024 Olympic Games approach in Paris, these patrols which mobilize 200 gendarmes tell France Info this Sunday having closed 51 sites and putting 140 others on notice.
Under the control of Europol, the unit tracks ticketing fraud (unauthorized sale and resale of tickets) for the 2024 Olympic Games on the Internet and on social networks (Facebook, Leboncoin, Telegram, Instagram). “The vast majority are sites hosted abroad. They know that the steps are longer and less easy to initiate closure or withdrawal action,” explains Captain Etienne Lestrelin, director of operations, to our colleagues.
“People sell you wind”
Still according to the captain, “the primary source of resale attempts” is social networks. “This is an individual-to-individual exchange. Except that the buyer does not know if the person actually owns the tickets, since they are virtual tickets, not paper tickets. So people sell you wind. » Note that if an honest individual tries to resell his place without going through the official platform, a tolerance is granted… but we must not push the envelope too far. “If people sell tickets on a regular basis, we ask for intervention and the closure of the account,” explains Etienne Lestrelin.
Any tips for spotting a scam? It’s a big “red flag” if the ticket is sold to you below its original price or if a seller promises you a ticket right away (the tickets will only exist at the time of the Olympics and via a QR Coded). And you can also check if the ticket references given to you actually exist by looking at the official ticket office.
“Good deals on the Internet are not possible”
Finally, be aware that if you have been defrauded, you should report it to a police station, a gendarmerie or directly to the DGCCRF, the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Repression. It’s also good to know that buying a ticket outside the circuit puts you in violation: “it’s a criminal offense”, says the captain.
In total, 13 million tickets will be put on sale, Olympic and Paralympic Games combined, according to France Info which indicates that the cyber unit will remain active after the Olympics to carry out investigations and legal inquiries. And the final word for Etienne Lestrelin: “there are no very good deals on the Internet, it’s not possible. The only site on which you can purchase tickets is the official Paris 2024 website.”