Internet ticket scams - Buyers must always beware

THIS will be a good year for sports fans.

The Olympics will be held in London for probably the last time in the lifetime of anyone alive in Ireland today so it may be an opportunity not to miss. Ireland have qualified for Euro 2012 and even the recession will not dissuade thousands of fans from travelling to support the team.

It is an indication of the times we live in that these two events will be targeted by fraudsters. The Dublin-based European Consumer Centre, the online watchdog, warned yesterday about cut-price tickets to these events being offered online. How tragic it would be for fans to arrive at a venue to discover that their tickets were duds and that they had been ripped off.