Labour's Sharon Hodgson MP has issued a warning against scammers and touts on the day that ticket ballots for Olympic events are officially opened.

The ballots are open until 26th April, but Sharon is concerned that people looking for tickets will be tricked into using fake websites, or buying second hand through unauthorised channels.

Resale of tickets to the 2012 games is illegal, with the Government last week announcing its intention to increase the fine for anyone caught touting tickets from £5,000 to £20,000. If a ticket holder cannot attend the event for which they have tickets, there will be an official ticket exchange where they can be sold to other fans at face value.

Sharon said: "The Olympics coming to London is a once in a generation chance for people to experience the very pinnacle of professional sport, so I am sure that demand for tickets will be extremely high.

"Unfortunately, this will mean that some people will try to make a fast buck by flouting the law on reselling tickets or setting up scam websites, so it is important that fans are aware that there is only one official way of getting tickets - through the London2012.com website.

"Hopefully the increased fine will put off a large number of touts, so getting tickets should be much easier for normal fans."

Mrs Hodgson also used the opportunity to renew her calls on the Government to introduce similar laws to stop the resale of tickets to other popular events, citing the recent release of tickets to V Festival as an example of the problem.

She said: "Tickets to V were sold out through the official channels within minutes - I even heard from someone that they were told tickets were sold out 1 minute after they went on sale. Yet within hours there were hundreds of listings on eBay and other sites, with a minimum mark-up of £100 a ticket - completely unfair to the genuine fans who wanted to go.

"It is clear that the Government acknowledges that criminals are behind a lot of the touting that goes on, so I can't understand why Ministers still refuse to support my attempts to prevent them making large wads of cash by ripping off people who want to go see their favourite band.

"All the messages of support I am getting from around the country shows that this is something genuine fans care a lot about, so I will continue my campaign both inside and outside Parliament."

Guide to avoiding scams and touts

Guidance from Operation Podium, the unit within the Metropolitan Police charged with policing the Olympic Games is as follows:

o The 2012 ticket ballot opens on the 15th March. You have until 26 April to apply for tickets through LOCOG as it is not first come first served.
o Only apply for a ticket online at www.tickets.london2012.com. This is London 2012's official site. You can also get a paper application from any Lloyds TSB branch.
o If you get a ticket for an event you can't attend, you can return your ticketto get a refund through the London 2012 official ticket exchange. Your ticket will then be officially resold.
o Don't buy a ticket from an unauthorised website or tout. You risk being scammed, and not getting the ticket you wanted and paid for.
o If you find tickets for sale before the 15th March 2011 or available from any unauthorised source at anytime, don't buy them. They are not genuine. Report it to www.actionfraud.org.uk, London 2012 via brandprotection@london2012.com or your local police force.

Sharon Hodgson's Ticket Tout Bill >

www.sharonhodgson.org

Sharon Hodgson MP
House of Commons,
London SW1A 0AA

E-mail: hodgsons@parliament.uk

Westminster Office Tel. 020 7219 5160

Constituency Office Te. 0191 417 2000

Sharon Hodgson's website is not funded through House of Commons expenses.