French Authorities Identify Hundreds of Fraudulent Olympic Ticket Sites
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are just over six weeks away, but ahead of the event, French authorities have discovered over 300 fraudulent websites selling invalid tickets.
As reported by franceinfo, over 200 officers from the National Gendarmerie’s UNCyber department were put in charge of combatting ticketing fraud. UNCyber director Etienne Lestrelin told the publication that the gendarmes “carry out various searches on all French and foreign search engines to detect sites that sell and resell unauthorised tickets,” with a goal to “hunt and identify these sites.”
The department uncovered 338 sites acting illegally and shut down 51, with 140 on notice. A majority of these sites were reportedly hosted abroad. Lestrelin said these are “scammer sites which aim to capture personal data.”
“They will try to catch your email and your phone by telling you that they will contact you as soon as there are tickets available,” Lestrelin said. “They will tell you that they found the exceptional 100m place three meters from the track which doesn’t exist!”
The unit plans to remain active until the games — as well as during the event — in order to find fraudulent ticket sellers. It has also joined in partnership with France’s Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affars and Fraud Control to cross-reference information, data, and identified sites.
Lestrelin warned eventgoers to only purchase tickets from the official Paris 2024 Olympics website. Last month, organizers revealed the official Paris 2024 ticketing app, which allows transfer and resale.
High ticket prices have plagued the 2024 event; many have spoken-out about the exorbitant prices, criticizing organizers for pricing-out fans and the families of athletes. Earlier this year, the Seine-Saint-Denis government announced it was giving away 150,000 Olympic and Paralympic Games tickets to Seine-Saint-Denis residents, with a majority of the ticketing coming from state allocation. Organizers also launched a new “Ticketing Thursdays” campaign, releasing tens of thousands of tickets each Thursday until the start of the games in July.
The 2024 Olympic Games are scheduled to run from July 26 to August 11, overlooking the waters of the Seine. During the kick-off ceremony, 10,000 athletes will travel to the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
