Online ticket scam cons Olympic fans

THOUSANDS of sports fans around the world have been conned by an internet scam which sold bogus tickets to events at the Beijing Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced yesterday it was taking action to shut down the fraudsters, but the move came too late to help the victims find replacement seats at the Games.

Among those left out of pocket were the families of Olympic athletes in both Australia and New Zealand, with people in the US, Japan, Norway, China and Britain also reportedly conned by the sophisticated sting.