How to spot fake tickets

[kai.del.mar]

Hi,

I am going to be buying my tickets soon, I'll probably try and find a 1st or 2nd tier ticket of cl but would like to know what important things to look out for to make sure I don't get such with a forgery.

Thanks!
Kai

[Dustdevil]

Copied from the BM website:

WARNING about buying tickets from a third party: Be very careful when buying tickets from someone you do not know or who will not willingly give you their name and ticket number. Before purchasing, find out the full name the ticket was purchased under, get the 8 digit number/letter combo from the back of the ticket and if possible get a photo of the front and back of the ticket emailed to you, to prove they actually have the ticket in their possession. Contact partiserv(at)burningman(dot)com with that information and we can let you know to the best of our knowledge if the ticket is valid or not. It is reasonable to pay for the face value of a ticket plus fees so calculate this before agreeing to a price. Burning Man cannot be responsible for third party ticket sales so be careful when purchasing. If you feel that you have been scammed by someone, contact your local police and report the person.

[kai.del.mar]

Thank you for finding the information I could have found myself if I had have looked harder haha. Really though, I appreciate it :)

[Ugly Dougly]

There should be a holographic pattern on it that's hard to fake.

[C.f.M.]

[ragabashpup]

Try to do an in person transaction and not a mail/online transaction.

[Ugly Dougly]

Check for an atomic jawbreaker!!!

[Savannah]

That looks like the poster, or a preliminary graphic.

2010 Tickets look like this: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2634/4328647519_bbf0c03d0d.jpg

The ticket is 5 1/2" long & 2 1/8" wide. The decorative side is a red & orange metropolis theme, with pale whitish-aqua rays emitting from a radio tower atop which stands the man. There are metallic gold rays shining from a streetlight at one end of the ticket, & at the other end, thin metallic gold outlines of some of the lower buildings & a small metallic Statue of Liberty figure. As Dougly mentions, this would be hard for the average person to fake.

On the back, there is a metallic reddish strip at the top featuring the dates of the event and price of the ticket, followed by 1 short paragraph in caps, & 1 long paragraph (both featuring the usual warnings & disclaimers).

I've just realized that the raised radio tower rays from the art side are actually a basic map of the city. The map is slightly raised under the fingers on the "art" side, & the opposite (indented / imbedded) on the text side.

There are two seemingly identical bar codes on the back, one beneath the second paragraph, & one on what will be the stub.

[AntiM]

Even when doing an in person transaction, insist on the code from the back and the name of the original purchaser, then run it by the BMORG as outlined above.

Tale of woe and my own stupidity: I once purchased a ticket from a nice guy from Canada. I tracked the package/envelope to my hometown via UPS, where it vanished "in the truck". Well, it was supposed to be a gift, so I had to scramble to get another one, bought it full price Will Call. Wasn't able to get in touch with the seller before we left. When we got back, I was still trying to contact him... and didn't realize I could have simply hit up payapal for the loss. Very much my bad. When I did reach the seller, he said I'd told him I had the ticket and had a great time? Huh? He'd sold two, and had me confused with the other buyer. He agreed to pursue the insurance for the loss. He did, as UPS international contacted me, but I never saw a penny back, nor was I ab;e to get a reply from him ever again. Either the claim went through and he kept the money, or they denied it and he didn't bother with me. Either way, that particular gift cost me $450 (or more). I don't think he set out to be a thief, I think he was stoned and careless. Use paypal and stake your claim for loss if you have one in a timely manner!!!!!!

[gyre]

I ordered a package and the shipper insisted on usps.
I bought insurance, but I don't think he did.
It tracked to the truck but not delivered.
I followed up with paypal and ebay.
He wasn't happy, but replaced it.

I know usps won't pay claims, even with insurance.

Last ticket I sent out, they insisted on usps.
I paid for the insurance myself, just because I don't trust them.


Look for the embossing.
It's the most expensive thing to copy.
My idea, by the way.

[Shambala]

Avoid this man!

[Playa Foot]

If you hold a real ticket up to the light you can see Larry Harvey's image.

[LaurenAlixandra]

I do not think you can see Larry Harvey's image. Not in my tickets anyway. Let's try not to confuse people who are already navigating a sketchy process!

[AntiM]

If you hold a real ticket up to the light you can see Larry Harvey's image.

Moderator note: Serious thread here, try to cut the snark, please.

[andy]

The serious issue, which is true for all event tickets, not just BM, is that people need to know what a real ticket looks like and what safety features are in it. If they haven't already done so, the Borg should post not just a picture of the ticket, which could be a starting point for counterfeiters, but a list of safety features to look for (hologram, raised print, etc). Ideally they need to hold back publishing one feature so that Gate can detect even the best counterfeit ticket.

Another solution would be to have names printed on each ticket which must match the ID shown at the gate, and all tickets must be sold, exchanged, or gifted through Borg, which, when mailed a ticket, replaces it with a new one in the buyer's name for a small fee (ie. $5). Admittedly this is a challenge for last-minute ticket exchanges.

[TheViking]

I've gotten responses for will call and I've read into purchasing physical tickets. Is replacing and confirming will call better or worse??? One person gave me a four digit confirmation and name, but not the 15 digit, or 8 digit or the email address. How should I be careful?

[atomosk]

A good way to visually check a ticket you're purchasing is to borrow a ticket you know to be good from a friend and a magnifying glass. It's hard to counterfeit a ticket but even harder to have the ink and process match exactly. Look at the ink in the price and the bar codes. It should match the real ticket in terms of ink color and pattern. By pattern I mean that there are patches of ink that are darker looking (for being less reflective). In the bar codes they often sit on the right hand side of the bar. This is an unintentional effect of the printing process with this specific ink. It's not a foolproof way to check as a ticket might have been stolen and reported as such, but it helps if you find an amazing price for a ticket, can't get the original name of purchaser (as in a ticket re-sold a few times), and the seller is someone you feel you can trust.

[Shambala]

Ideally they need to hold back publishing one feature so that Gate can detect even the best counterfeit ticket.

I'm not sure that this is a good idea. The purchaser would have already bought and paid for a bad ticket, and only when they are trying to enter the gate would this secret feature bite them in the ass. (sorry, we can't let you in because your ticket doesn't have a tiny red star in the corner. Have a nice day!)

[gyre]

A good way to visually check a ticket you're purchasing is to borrow a ticket you know to be good from a friend and a magnifying glass. It's hard to counterfeit a ticket but even harder to have the ink and process match exactly. Look at the ink in the price and the bar codes. It should match the real ticket in terms of ink color and pattern. By pattern I mean that there are patches of ink that are darker looking (for being less reflective). In the bar codes they often sit on the right hand side of the bar. This is an unintentional effect of the printing process with this specific ink.

Checking another ticket is not an option for people in most locations.
Might be easy in reno, L.A., SF.

The embossing is still the least likely feature to be copied.

[SusieNYC]

If I still need to buy tickets and just arrived in Bay Area. Any chance of finding a "hard" ticket at this point or should I buy a paypay will call. So confused since there seems to be many scammers out there. But would love to buy from someone who can't make it anyway and save them the $$ they won't use. Thanks!! Any feedback welcome.

[gyre]

You should be able to find tickets in the bay area.
Check CL as well as eplaya.
Hard tickets are still for sale there too retail, I imagine.