West Australian footy fans have lost money after being stung by scammers selling fake online tickets for Saturday's AFL grand final.
Authorities say a number of people have paid up to $250 each for tickets that were never delivered, including some who posted advertisements on internet trading site Gumtree.
Consumer Protection Commissioner Gary Newcombe said with just a few days before the game, scammers would ramp up their attempts to rip people off.
"We strongly urge consumers to exercise extreme caution before handing over money for tickets being sold online," he said.
His office has also cracked down on people selling tickets at inflated prices in breach of WA's new ticket scalping laws that came into effect earlier this month.
Consumer Protection compliance officers have been monitoring seven ticket re-selling sites as well as Gumtree, eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
"So far 26 advertisements offering AFL grand final tickets and suspected of breaking the laws have been identified, 22 on Gumtree and four on eBay," Mr Newcombe said.
"The sites have been cooperative in removing the ads as soon as advised and may have removed others proactively."
Messages have also been sent to individual sellers, advising them of the new laws and warning that they could face prosecution if they continue to on-sell the tickets for more than the allowed 10 per cent mark-up or don't reveal the exact location of the seats.
Australian Associated Press
