Ticketmaster Expands Dominance With StopTicketScammers
They don’t want to lower their own ticketing fees to something fair, but they do want to stop other 
people from scamming you.
Ticketmaster has launched Stop Ticket Scammers where consumers can report ticket fraud and access information about consumer protection agencies. The site also offers tips about avoiding potential ticket fraud by "purchasing tickets from 
venue box offices or event-authorized sellers".
Not coincidently Ticketmaster operates its own "event-authorized" TicketExchange service to help people resell tickets that they can’t use and have been aggressively attacking competing re-sellers who operate under a confusing array of state and local laws.
Ticketmaster’s near-monopoly on the concert ticketing world will be severely challenged in 2008 when their contract with concert giant Love Nation is up for renewal. (Read the corporate press release after the jump.)
Ticketmaster ‘Stops the Scammers’
http://www.Ticketmaster.com/stopthescammers Launches for Consumers to Report Ticket Rip-Offs for Concerts, Sporting Events, Theatre, Family Entertainment and More
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ — In response to increased ticket fraud at concerts, sporting events, theatrical performances, family shows, etc., Ticketmaster has launched www.Ticketmaster.com/stopthescammers where consumers may report incidents of ticket fraud and access information about consumer protection agencies in their home city or state. The first-ever service of its kind, Ticketmaster.com/stopthescammers also offers information and tips about avoiding potential ticket fraud by purchasing tickets only from venue box offices or event-authorized sellers; especially important when buying from resellers operating in the unauthorized secondary ticket market, where consumers regularly put themselves at risk in exchange for the opportunity to get tickets to a popular or sold out event.
The new service is an extension of Ticketmaster’s ongoing efforts to help protect consumers from ticket scams, fraud, and deception rampant among unscrupulous unauthorized resellers operating in the secondary ticket market.
"Ticketmaster works very hard to provide fair and equitable distribution of event tickets on behalf of our venue, sports team and event promoter clients and that includes doing all that we can as a company to help educate the public and to help remove fraud and price gouging from the secondary ticket market," said Sean Moriarty, President and COO of Ticketmaster. "By making consumers aware of the risks associated with purchasing tickets through unauthorized channels and empowering consumers with information about what to do if they have been defrauded, we hope to discourage unscrupulous resellers and help create a more fair and safe secondary marketplace for fans to buy tickets."
Ticketmaster operates its event-authorized TicketExchange resale service on behalf of more than 120 venues and sports teams throughout North America. Originally introduced in 2003 for sports teams who wished to allow their season ticket holders to resell tickets to games they were unable to attend, Ticketmaster TicketExchange was expanded last year to enable venues and event organizers across all event categories to offer authorized resale to their season subscribers and single event ticket holders.
About Ticketmaster:
Ticketmaster is the world’s leading ticketing company, operating in 20 global markets, providing ticket sales and distribution through www.ticketmaster.com, one of the largest e-commerce sites on the Internet; approximately 6,500 retail outlets; 20 worldwide telephone call centers; and a broad online and offline marketing network. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2006, Ticketmaster serves more than 9,000 clients worldwide across multiple event categories, providing exclusive ticketing services for hundreds of leading arenas, stadiums, performing arts venues, museums, and theaters. In 2005, the company sold 119 million tickets valued at $6 billion on behalf of its clients. Ticketmaster is headquartered in West Hollywood, California and is an operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ:IACI).
Source: Ticketmaster
CONTACT: Bonnie Poindexter, +1-310-360-2321, or Anna Loynes,
+1-213-639-6167, both of Ticketmaster
Web site: http://www.ticketmaster.com/
http://www.ticketmaster.com/stopthescammers
