At least one unauthorised website is touting tickets to next year's football World Cup in South Africa, Australia's consumer watchdog said Sunday as it warned of potential fraud in online ticketing.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said an international review of thousands of websites, including some 1,400 ostensibly based in Australia, underscored the need for consumer vigilance.
"Results indicate that online ticketing has emerged as an area of concern," the commission's deputy chairman Peter Kell said. "In this year's sweep, the ACCC identified an unauthorised site offering tickets for the Fifa World Cup in South Africa at www.worldcupticketing.com."
The website, written in poorly worded English, offers to "deliver at your door step" tickets to all rounds of the World Cup as well as "best deals for world cup final match ticket for South Africa Soccer Cup."
"The only way consumers can buy a ticket is through the Fifa ticket allocation or from a licensed tour operator authorised to sell tickets on FIFA's behalf as part of a travel package," Mr Kell said in a statement.
Football's governing body Fifa welcomed the Australian regulator's statement ahead of the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa from June 11 to July 11. Mr Kell said while online ticketing had eliminated the need for ticket-buyers to queue, it had also opened up room for fraudsters to sell entry to events with no guarantee they could deliver.
In 2008, scores of Australians were reportedly caught in an alleged global scam believed to have conned people worldwide into buying non-existent tickets for the Beijing Olympics.
* AFP
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The%20Beekeeper
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The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
