Update: 10/05/2024 19:23
Issued by: 10/05/2024, 18:03
Prague/Ostrava – The police recorded dozens of people with fake tickets on the first day of the hockey championship. Over 40 of them were in Prague, a few in Ostrava. The police announced it on the network X.
“During the first match in Prague, we noticed more than 40 people who had fake tickets. On the spot, cybercrime specialists deal with the cases immediately and do everything to track down the perpetrators who cheated people in this way,” the police said.
Several fans did not get to the first matches of the championship in Ostrava after buying tickets through the advertising portal. “We received the notification at the contact center. We are looking into the matter and again warn visitors not to buy tickets on servers other than the official ones,” the police said.
It encourages fans to buy tickets for World Cup matches only from official sellers to avoid potential problems with fake and re-sold tickets. Earlier, the police announced that their mobile workplace would focus on the fraudulent sale of tickets during the hockey world championship.
A special car is parked in front of Prague’s O2 arena, in which cybercrime experts deal with cases where people only find out at the turnstiles that their ticket is invalid. A similar measure is also in place in Ostrava.
People will be alerted to an invalid ticket by the turnstile, then the organizers will refer them to complaints. There, the staff will print out a confirmation for the police from the system, from which they will know whether it was a repeatedly sold and already used ticket or a fake one, Prague police spokeswoman Eva Kropáčová told ČTK. With the confirmation, people can come directly to the mobile police station in front of the stadium and file a criminal complaint.
According to Kropáčová, the victims of fraud in most cases are Czechs and people who buy tickets for several matches of the championship. “The record holder is the lady who bought tickets for a total of 40,000 crowns,” said Kropáčová. She also emphasized that it is important to report fraud as soon as possible, as the chances of catching the perpetrators decrease later.
