As Australians gear up for a packed summer of concerts, sport and New Year’s Eve celebrations, a quieter but costly menace is circling the digital mosh pit. Ticket scams are on the rise, and new national research shows the damage is not just emotional; it is hitting household budgets hard.
According to fresh data released this week, Australians who fall victim to fake or undelivered event tickets are losing an average of $432 per scam, a figure that climbs sharply among younger buyers. With demand surging for sold-out shows and marquee events, the research paints a sobering picture of how easily excitement can turn into regret.
One in five Australians says they have missed out on an event entirely after purchasing fraudulent tickets online. More troubling still, nearly one in ten victims report being scammed more than once, proof that criminals are refining their tactics just as quickly as consumers are learning the rules of the game.
The numbers reveal a generational fault line. While almost half of all victims lost between $100 and $499, 15 per cent of Gen Z and Millennial victims lost $750 or more. Not a single victim over the age of 45 reported losses at that level, suggesting experience and caution still count for something in the digital marketplace.
Yet optimism, or perhaps overconfidence, remains a powerful lure. Seven per cent of Australians admit they would “take the risk” if a ticket price looked too good to pass up. Among Gen Z, that figure jumps to 18 per cent. Fear of missing out, it seems, is a scammer’s most reliable accomplice.
Encouragingly, Australians are not entirely naïve. Almost 70 per cent now recognise the importance of sticking to official ticketing platforms, while more than half actively avoid buying tickets through social media, which remains one of the most fertile hunting grounds for scammers armed with doctored screenshots and vanishing profiles.
But awareness alone does not guarantee protection. Only 6 per cent of scammed buyers avoided financial loss by using a payment method with Buyer Protection, leaving the overwhelming majority out of pocket and out of luck.
That is the gap PayPal Australia says consumers must close as the summer event season accelerates.
“Scammers know that when tickets sell out fast, fans can be tempted to take risks,” said Sascha Hess, PayPal Australia’s Chief Information Security Officer. “Unfortunately, fake tickets don’t just cost you money; they can rob you of the experience itself. The good news is, there are simple ways to stay protected using secure payment methods like PayPal, which offers Buyer Protection on eligible purchases means you could be refunded if something goes wrong or no tickets ever arrive.”
With New Year’s Eve fast approaching, traditionally one of the busiest ticket-buying periods of the year, concern is rising. More than half of Australians now say using payment methods with built-in Buyer Protection makes buying tickets online safer. At the same time, nearly one in five report encountering suspicious links or fake listings while searching for tickets, underlining just how crowded the scam landscape has become.
The pattern is depressingly familiar. Demand spikes, supply tightens, prices rise, and scammers slip into the chaos, posing as desperate fans or “verified sellers” offering last-minute bargains. The transaction feels rushed, the payment irreversible, and the disappointment complete.
PayPal’s advice to consumers is blunt and old-fashioned, but effective: buy from official sellers wherever possible, avoid cash or bank transfers, be sceptical of social media marketplaces, check URLs carefully, and report suspicious activity. More than half of Australians say they would report a dodgy listing, a small act that can spare someone else the same fate.
In a summer defined by shared experiences, the roar of a crowd, the crack of fireworks, the thrill of live music, the real tragedy of ticket scams is not just the money lost, but the moments that never happen. Vigilance, it turns out, is the cheapest ticket of all.
by Michelle Warner – (c) 2025
Read Time: 4 minutes.
About the Writer.
Michelle Warner is a storyteller with jet fuel in her veins — the sort of woman who could turn a long-haul delay into a lesson in patience and prose. She began her career in media publications, learning the craft of sharp sentences and honest storytelling, before trading deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with several major airlines. Years spent at thirty thousand feet gave her a keen eye for human nature and a deep affection for the grace and grit of travellers everywhere.
Now happily grounded, Michelle has returned to her first love, writing, with the same composure she once brought to a turbulent cabin. Her work combines an editor’s precision with a traveller’s curiosity, weaving vivid scenes and subtle humour into stories that honour the golden age of travel writing. Every line is a small act of civility, polished, poised, and unmistakably human.
