How to buy event tickets safely in the UAE

In a warning reported on 24 December 2025, the Anti-Fraud Centre at the General Department of Criminal Investigation, as part of its #BewareOfFraud campaign, said fake websites and unverified social media pages promote tickets that do not exist for concerts, entertainment, sport and travel. Scammers copy the names and branding of well-known organisers and ticketing platforms, and victims are asked to transfer money or enter card details, then find that no ticket was issued or that unauthorised amounts were taken.

Platinumlist's chief executive told Khaleej Times that the payment flow gives fake sites away: they may use cloned payment gateways or push you into wallet transfers. He also described a mismatch in one-time-password consent, where buyers think they are approving a small charge but authorise a much larger one.

Lookalike domains are often registered days before presales, sometimes with unusual endings. Urgent discounts of 50 to 70 per cent for events that are not yet on sale, or are sold out, are another sign. Check the link character by character before you pay.

• Start from the organiser's or venue's own website, not from a social media post or an advert.
• Use a card, not a bank transfer or wallet transfer to a person.
• If the price is far below everything else, assume it is not genuine.
• Read the OTP message and check the amount before you approve it.
• Screenshot the confirmation and keep the booking email.

Report it to Dubai Police through the smart app, by calling 901 for non-emergencies or through the eCrime platform. Cybersecurity experts quoted in the report say many scams are run in short cycles, with fake domains taken down and replaced quickly, so early reporting matters.

Events with heavy demand are the usual targets: the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Global Village and big arena concerts. See Etihad Arena and Coca-Cola Arena for the venues.