in 2022, more than 200 people victims of scams in Caen

“I’m selling a place for Orelsan at the Zenith tonight, 65 euros“, “I have 3 places in the gold square pit, write to me if interested“: during the week of the two Orelsan concerts at the Zénith de Caen on October 26 and 27, two dates sold out very quickly
, this type of ad has multiplied on platforms such as Leboncoin, Market Place or Vinted.

Tempting announcements, especially for those who dreamed of going to see Orelsan and who hadn’t had tickets, but who often ended badly: among these ads, many scams were then detected by the people who bought these places.

fake tickets

“It was already Wednesday and neither me nor my friend had room, we got used to the idea that we weren’t going to see Orelsan, but I looked anyway, like that, on Leboncoin, explains Clémence, who lives in Cuverville, and I found an advertisement for places in the gold pit, at 65 euros each.” Tempted by the offer, and while offering the seller to go through a secure payment platform, Clémence and her friend end up buying two places.

Except that on arrival at the Zénith counters, disaster: “The barcode wasn’t valid, so we went to the central counter and there we were told that both tickets were fake.” In the aftermath, Clémence calls back the seller with whom she had exchanged by telephone; the latter clears customs and refuses to reimburse it. “We should have been more careful, so we filed a complaint, but from there to the manager being worried, I would be surprised…“, sighs the young woman.

A case that is far from isolated: since the beginning of the year, several hundred counterfeit tickets have been circulating for Orelsan’s concerts at the Zénith de Caen, including nearly 200 just for the concert on April 28. “This is a phenomenon that has increased since the covid crisisremarked Sylvie Duchesne, the director of the Zénith de Caen, and all the more so during concerts like those in Orelsan, where tickets sell out very quickly, often to a rather young audience and where there is a long wait..”

Scams that also go through the Facebook social network, where Internet users have offered false places on pages like “Vivre à Caen”, known for its tips and good plans. “Seeing this, and following reports, I banned two or three people who were selling fake tickets on the page, or who were selling tickets at exorbitant prices“, confides Fabien Poulain, one of the administrators.

The same ticket sold 18 times

But the most striking example is that of Thomas, who lives in Cairon. A friend of his had two tickets for the Orelsan concert on October 27. “Since his brother couldn’t go, this friend sold me one of his two places, so nothing suspicious. Except that when the Zenith staff beeped my place, they told me that the ticket had already passed!“, explains Thomas.

The hypothesis of his friend: as he had left his place in evidence at home and that there were often friends and acquaintances passing through, “my friend thinks that one of his relatives took the photo of the ticket and sold it en masse on the Internet.” Result: on Thursday, October 27, this same ticket was brought by 18 different people !

Do not take your place in a photo

Results : around twenty people could not attend the Orelsan concerts, because of rigged places. “When we have to turn people away at the entrance, people who have come to listen to music and enjoy a good time shared, it makes us uncomfortable and it really saddens usconfides Sylvie Duchesne, director of the Zénith de Caen. It is really necessary that the public, even in the face of temptation, does not buy tickets outside the official sales sites, because it is wasted money, which goes into the pockets of thugs, and we can do nothing more do after.“

The advice is simple: you should only buy your place from the artists’ sites and avoid resale platforms. “And we remind you, a concert ticket has the value of moneyexplains Sylvie Duchesne, like a currency note, you have to keep your concert ticket in your wallet, don’t take a picture of it, don’t share it or leave it accessible to others; thus, you are actually protecting her.“

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As is the case for many festivals, the Zénith de Caen calls for the creation of official resale platforms, linked to concert halls. Indeed, the sale of tickets is managed by the producers of the artists, the Zénith only rents the room. “But I think that with a secure website, where a person who could not attend a concert could resell their place at the purchase price, it would avoid a very large number of scams.“, says Sylvie Duchesne.

If you have ever been the victim of a scam, it is possible to go to a police station or the gendarmerie to lodge a complaint. The information is to be found on the government website dedicated to scams
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