Fans Hit By Fake Ticket Scam

A police investigation's started after 240 fans were turned away from a Mumford & Sons gig in Portsmouth - because they'd been sold fake tickets.

Some people had £300 for their tickets.

Long queues formed outside the Portsmouth Guildhall as staff, who had been alerted to the possible forgeries, carefully checked tickets when people arrived for last night's show.

Many of the fake tickets, which had been sold by third-party vendors using ticket sale websites, had been purchased for more than 10 times their face value of £23.50.

The 240 disappointed fans who were turned away included many who had travelled from across the south of England as well as some who had reportedly travelled from America to see the band.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman confirmed that they had been informed of the forgeries and have launched an investigation.

The following statement was posted Portsmouth Guildhall's website last night:

''Please note that fake tickets for Mumford & Sons' concert on Thursday 22nd November 2012 are being sold on websites such as Ebay and Seatwave.

The only legitamate tickets out there for this show are those sold by Portsmouth Guildhall & Music Glue.  

The Portsmouth Cultural Trust has notified the Police of the matter and a fraud investigation has been launched.

Ticket holders attending the concert are advised to arrive early to allow enough time for security checks.'' 

The band have also put a statement on their website:

''we have been alerted to the fact that some people have fraudulently been making and selling fake tickets. This is a criminal activity and these fake tickets will not grant you access to the show. If you have purchased tickets from any secondary vendors then we would urge you to seek your money back immediately.

We are extremely concerned about this kind of activity and the police have been notified. We sincerely hope that not too many of you good honest Mumford & Sons fans have been affected. Remember to always purchase tickets from official vendors only.

These are the only legitimate ticket vendors for Mumford & Sons shows: Mumfordandsons.com,  Musicglue, Ticketmaster, Seetickets, Ticketweb or directly from the venue.

We have no control over tickets being sold on any other sites, and can not guarantee their authenticity.''

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