The short answer
Most ticket scams share a few signs: you are asked to pay by bank transfer or gift card instead of through a checkout, the price is much lower than everywhere else, the seller rushes you, and you cannot find the event anywhere except the post or message in front of you. If two or more of those are true, walk away.
The safest way to buy is through the event’s own booking page, paying by card.
Common signs of a scam
- Pay me directly. A seller asks for a bank transfer, PayID, crypto or gift cards rather than a card payment through a checkout.
- Too cheap. A sold-out show offered at face value or less, from a stranger.
- Rushed. “Three people want these, pay in ten minutes.” Real organisers do not need to hurry you.
- No trail. The event has no page, no venue confirmation, and no history of past events.
- A new or copied profile. A social account created last week, or one that looks like a well-known organiser with a letter changed.
- Screenshots, not tickets. A photo of a ticket can be sold to ten people.
Check before you pay
- Find the venue. Look up the venue’s own website or call them. Ask whether the event is on.
- Search the organiser. Look for past events, reviews from people you can identify, and a real contact.
- Book through the official link. Use the link from the organiser’s own site or the venue, not from a comment or a message.
- Pay by card. Card payments can be disputed with your bank if the event turns out not to exist. Bank transfers are much harder to get back.
If you are an organiser
Scammers sometimes copy real events. Protect your buyers by posting one official booking link everywhere, and saying plainly that you never sell tickets by direct message or bank transfer. If someone copies your event, tell your followers straight away.
If you think you have been scammed
Contact your bank immediately and ask about disputing the payment. Report it to Scamwatch, run by the ACCC, and to the platform where you met the seller. Keep screenshots of everything.
On One Ticket
On One Ticket, buyers pay by card through the event’s own checkout, into the organiser’s connected Stripe account. Our emails never carry an organiser’s own links or phone numbers in an event title, venue or ticket name, so a One Ticket email asking you to call a number or pay somewhere else is a warning sign.
Until an organiser’s first paid event has gone cleanly, their ticket money is held until two days after each event. If the date, start time or place changes after you book, you can refund in full from your ticket, booking fee included, until it starts.
Related: How do I know a ticket confirmation email is real?, How to earn buyers' trust as a new organiser and Selling tickets through a Facebook event.
Answers to your questions
Is One Ticket free to use?
Yes. The Free plan has everything you need to sell tickets, with no monthly cost, no setup fee, no payout fee and no card needed. Pro and Team are open now: upgrade any time in Settings › Plan. Limited-time offer: A$1 for your first year (first 100 organisers), then A$29/month for Pro or A$79/month for Team. Cancel anytime.
Who pays the booking fee?
The buyer, on a paid ticket, on top of the price you set, so you receive 100% of your ticket price. Free tickets carry no fee.
When do I get paid?
Ticket money goes to your own Stripe account, with no payout fee from One Ticket. Until your first paid event has gone cleanly, it is paid out two days after each event; after that, it is paid out as it sells.
Can I run a free event?
Yes. A free ticket costs nobody anything, and you don’t need Stripe connected to run a free event.
Do people need an account to book?
No. They book on their phone or computer without an account, and their tickets arrive by email with a QR code to show at the door.