Experts point to new scam targeting fans looking for tickets to Celine Dion concerts

Group-IB warns of scams exploiting the return of Celine Dion’s concert, with scammers selling duplicate tickets from Ticketmaster and fake sites such as AXS and Paris La Défense Arena
Scammers integrate into marketplaces and Facebook fan groups, and even use voice messages to build trust and make fake offers look legitimate.
Fans are advised to only purchase from official distributors, check tickets in person if using resellers, and contact banks to dispute charges if they are scammed.

Celine Dion is back and hackers are already trying to exploit this fact for their own financial gain, experts have warned.

A report by security researchers Group-IB claims that there are numerous fraudulent campaigns on the Internet and social media that seek to exploit gullible fans and steal their money.

His report, aptly named “The Scam Will Continue,” said he saw scammers lurking in Facebook groups, Facebook Marketplace, and other fan-focused spaces, offering concert tickets for sale. The tickets themselves, hosted on Ticketmaster, are valid. However, scammers only have a few tickets that can be redeemed by the first person who arrives at the location. All others will be denied entry as their tickets will have already been used.

How to avoid being scammed

But that’s not the only scam. Some people do not want to pay an unknown third party by bank transfer and prefer to buy tickets directly from a service.

For those people, scammers created entire websites, spoofing ticket distributors like AXS and Ticketmaster. Group-IB also detected fake websites spoofing Celine Dion and the Paris La Défense Arena, the stadium where the concert will take place.

“We see that such an event generates excitement and gives scammers another opportunity to make a fortune at the expense of unsuspecting fans,” Group-IB warned.

“Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated techniques, such as joining social media fan groups and speaking directly to their victims via voice messages, to make the interaction more personal and gain their victims’ trust more easily. Additionally, official ticketing platforms are being misused to make scams appear legitimate.”

Researchers recommend that fans only visit official websites and those of official distributors, and if you absolutely must buy from a reseller, make sure to buy a physical ticket, in person. Those who fell for the scam should call their bank and file an objection on their credit card.