Northern Ireland agency warns of football ticketing scam

A Northern Ireland agency specialising in sporting events and concerts has warned that fraudsters are using its name to sell tickets to Premier League football matches.

Skelton Travel, based in Lurgan, was established by Gerard Skelton in 1982 and is an official agent for Ticketmaster to offer specialist packages including coach and ferry travel.

However, the agency took to Facebook to say: “It has come to our attention that individuals claiming to work for or represent Skelton Travel, including Newry and surrounding areas, have been fraudulently selling tickets to football events in the UK and as a result people have been not only let down for access to these events but also out of money, which we are so disheartened to hear.

“Please do not deal with individuals selling match tickets - agents are required to sell match tickets as a package only and are not permitted to sell tickets on their own. 

“We do not have any agents working for us to sell football packages, these can only booked directly in the office. 

“We would ask anyone that is approached by anyone claiming to sell tickets from Gerard or Skelton Travel to contact the PSNI [Police Service of Northern Ireland] immediately. 

“We have provided match packages to Premier League games for over 40 years and we understand the demand for the tickets has increased massively in recent years - but please be vigilant when shopping around.”

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