Kiwis may be snared in Olympic ticket scam

New Zealanders may have been caught up in an Olympic ticketing scheme that has prompted a warning from British police. Photo / Thinkstock

New Zealanders may have been caught up in an Olympic ticketing scheme that has prompted a warning from British police.

The Metropolitan Police have asked their New Zealand counterparts to distribute a warning against buying tickets from the Norwegian online ticket office Euroteam.

The company runs a number of websites offering tickets to the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games.

However, its operations are under investigation by Norwegian police after a number of customer complaints.

London Detective Superintendent Nick Downing said anyone who bought tickets from the website was in danger of having their trip ruined.

"I am seriously concerned that anyone who has bought Olympic or Paralympic tickets will now not receive them.

"There is an ongoing investigation by the Norwegian police into the wider activity of this company, and we know that the company have stated that they have not sourced all of the ... tickets that they have sold."

A blogging website warning about Euroteam's inability to deliver tickets was set up in December 2009.

The company also sells tickets to concerts and other sports events.

According to reports from the European Consumer Centres' Network, hundreds of people have been let down by the site.

Euroteam sells tickets it does not have, only attempting to secure the tickets once they have been bought.

If tickets are not obtained, Euroteam has in the past cancelled the order and terminated the contract - sometimes only one or two days before an event.

Review websites contain various negative experiences of Euroteam customers, who report difficulties in obtaining refunds if tickets do not arrive.

"I ordered Olympic tickets - unable to get in touch with them by email or phone, money has disappeared, no tickets. DO NOT USE THEM," warned one review posted last week on www.euroteam.info.

Another reviewer reported the same problem after paying €500 ($765) in January for basketball tickets.

Anyone who has used Euroteam's websites to buy tickets is advised to contact the company directly and to seek advice from their method-of-payment provider.

New Zealanders can also report concerns at their local police station, which will forward details to the London Metropolitan Police via Interpol.

Euroteam did not respond to a request for comment before this article's deadline last night.

An automatic response to an email said: "Our hard-working support team is experiencing heavy traffic due to the Olympics and other events.

"We have therefore limited capacity to answer emails and calls during this period."

WATCH OUT

Police have warned against using the following Euroteam websites:

* euroteam.net, tixnet.com
* olympicticket.info
* euroteam.info
* euroteamtickets.com
* 2012tickets.org
* londonsummergames.net
* londonsummergames.org
* euroteam.travel
* worldticketservice.net