Fans warned over Belladrum ticket scam
CAITHNESS music fans have been warned about the dangers of buying nonexistent tickets for Beauly’s Belladum Tartan Heart Festival.
Festival organiser Joe Gibbs said since tickets sold out, various scams have been operating over Gumtree, eBay and social networking sites including Facebook.
“These principally involve people offering tickets they don’t own and, despite our direct advice to our customers, some have passed over money without having the tickets in their hands and have consequently lost the money as the tickets probably never existed in the first place,” said Mr Gibbs.
“Our advice to customers who still wish to acquire tickets to Belladrum and wish to risk buying them in the open market is never hand over any funds until you have the whole ticket and counterfoil in your hand and you can check the hologram.”
The organiser said people should preferably use another genuine ticket to make a comparison.
Although the festival has sold out, there are opportunities for people to buy cancellations from www.skiddle.com
The electronic tickets being trialled this year offer the safest way to avoid fraud.
Mr Gibbs said he was “very disappointed” by the amount of scamming and touting of Belladrum tickets this year and he will be looking to improve the situation for genuine fans in the future.
Those lucky locals who have a genuine ticket will meanwhile be able to enjoy a hotly tipped Caithness band playing at the festival which takes place on August 5 and 6.
Wick-based four-piece Always the Sixth will take to the goNORTH Seedlings Stage to play alongside other risings stars such as Kid Canaveral, Lightguides, Aerials Up, Carnivores and the Whisky River Band on the Saturday night.
Top acts Texas and Deacon Blue are to headline Belladrum this year. Also announced are Guillemots, Echo and the Bunnymen, Frank Turner and Newton Faulkner.