People have reported being scammed out of thousands of pounds when buying tickets online.

Police revealed that 56 Hertfordshire residents have reported losses of more than £47,000.

One Watford resident, who thought they were buying tickets to a sports event, lost £1,200.

Residents from Welwyn Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Waltham Cross and Buntingford also lost money to ticket scammers.     

Julian Griffiths, Hertfordshire Constabulary’s fraud triage manager, said: “Avoid buying directly from individuals and use accredited sites instead.

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“Buying tickets from secondary agents or people claiming to have tickets for sale, can be expensive and carries much greater risk.

“Most venues, festivals, concerts and sporting events have official ticketing sites which offer resale tickets, if you missed out on the initial sale.”

The police offered advice as to what scams to look out for. One was scammers telling buyers they will meet you at the event with the tickets but never showing up.

Officers have suggested that tickets should be paid for using a credit card as it offers protection under the Consumer Credit Act.

If a site shows the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) logo, it can be checked to see if it is really a member by contacting STAR directly, police said.