The rise of social media as a means of connecting people has seen Facebook mentioned in 12%of all reports of online ticket fraud in 2014. The nature of social networking - having a massive base of users, most of whom are unknown to you, carries a huge risk for consumers and a huge opportunity for fraudsters.

You can help protect yourself from this type of fraud by following some simple advice:

• If you are buying tickets from an official website the website address should begin with “https://, the ’s’ stands for ‘Secure”
• If you are using the most up to date version of your web browser, the website address should turn green, letting you know it is secure.
• Use third party payment sites, such as PayPal or Worldly - satisfy yourself that they are the legitimate site before entering your details.
• Never pay for anything online using a direct bank transfer. You will not have any protection from fraud if you choose to transfer the money directly.
• Ensure you check your bank statements after making an online ticket purchase to ensure no additional money has been taken.
• Ensure you have effective and current internet security software and a firewall in place before making online purchases.
• Be mindful of e-ticketing fraud, whereby offenders can sell multiple tickets that appear legitimate, yet when you attend the event, the ticket is invalid as someone else has already been admitted on that ticket.

If you think you have been a victim of fraud you should report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre by dialling 0300 123 20 40 or by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk

You can get further advice about all aspect of online safety at www.getsafeonline.org