9 Ways to Protect Your Event from Ticket Scalpers & Fight Fraud

Scalpers are getting smarter. So should your defenses.

For fans, getting tickets should be the beginning of an exciting experience, not a source of frustration. But as high-demand onsales inevitably attract bots and scalpers, that moment is too often spoiled. Tickets disappear from official channels before buyers have a real chance, only to show up on third-party sites at inflated prices. Organizers across the industry are feeling the pressure—and paying the price.

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Nearly 40% of traffic to ticketing sites now comes from bots, and online payment fraud tied to ticketing is projected to double by 2028. This isn’t just a fan experience issue. It’s a revenue risk, a brand liability, and an operational drain for your team.

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Why a Layered Approach Matters

The challenge with ticketing fraud is that it doesn’t happen in just one place. Bots target the initial sale, while issues like unauthorized resale and friendly fraud keep affecting organizers long after tickets are in circulation.

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That’s why no single solution is enough. The strongest defense is a layered one, built with flexible tools that work together across the entire purchase flow. By applying the right level of friction before, during, and after checkout, organizers can minimize abuse without slowing things down for real fans.

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9 Smart Strategies to Reduce Fraud and Scalping

Fans now expect major onsales to feel more like a lottery than a fair shot at getting the tickets they want. A full-funnel approach shifts the odds back in their favor by protecting every stage of the buyer journey. Here are nine smart ways to do just that.

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1. Run Smart Presales with Access Codes

Presales create a simple but effective barrier that slows down automated buyers. Even publicly available codes reduce bot activity by requiring fans to take the extra step of securing one. Gating the onsale regulates the surge and gives organizers more control over who shows up—and when.

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Presales also give organizers the chance to prioritize loyal fans, through avenues like email lists and social media communities. Some organizers use memberships as a structured way to offer early access, giving top supporters a clear path to the tickets they want while keeping bots and opportunists at bay.

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2. Choose Tech With Built-In Fraud Prevention

Fighting fraud is complex, but it shouldn’t fall entirely on your team. That’s why our platform actively monitors for suspicious activity (like repeated logins, rapid refreshes, and unusual IP behavior) and applies smarter protections when demand spikes.

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Because these systems are already built into the platform, our team can fine-tune settings by event and work directly with you to adapt defenses as needed. It’s a proactive, collaborative approach that helps keep real fans in and bad actors out—without disrupting your onsale.

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3. Turn on Waitlist

A waitlist isn’t just a fallback when tickets sell out—it can be a core part of your onsale strategy. It gives fans a clear path to secure tickets at face value, should additional inventory become available, while helping organizers gauge true demand. Requiring credit card pre-authorization deters bots and scalpers by requiring payment details upfront—flipping the economics and forcing accountability.

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Pro tip: Consider flipping your onsale on its head by starting with a Waitlist. Give fans a window to sign up, eliminate the initial frenzy, and process the list in chronological order—or randomize it to keep things fair from the start.

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4. Leverage Electronic Ticket Delivery

Static QR codes and print-at-home PDFs are aging electronic delivery methods that are easier to duplicate, screenshot, share, and misuse. Depending on your audience and ticket demand, you could be opening the door to unregulated resale off-platform, entry delays, and unnecessary fan frustration.

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Modern electronic delivery methods offer stronger protection. Our rotating digital codes refresh every few seconds, rendering screenshots useless. For maximum security, tap-to-enter NFC tickets stored natively in Apple or Google Wallets don’t rely on QR or barcodes. Instead, they’re encrypted, device-bound, and require a special reader to scan. Tickets can only change hands through Tixr—either through Fan Transfers or Resale—maintaining ticket integrity and streamlining entry operations.

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5. Schedule Ticket Delivery

Instant delivery gives scalpers a headstart on reselling tickets, often at a markup. Delaying delivery until closer to the event helps close that gap. Fans still receive a confirmation at purchase, but the ticket itself isn’t sent to them until later. It’s a simple, effective way to protect both inventory and fans.

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6. Activate Fan Transfers and Resale

Giving fans the ability to transfer or resell tickets doesn’t mean giving up control. Enabling fan transfers and resale gives ticket holders a secure way to offload tickets they won’t use—reducing leakage into unregulated secondary markets while giving you more visibility into who’s actually attending your events.

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7. Own Your Data

Visibility into buyer behavior is critical for fraud prevention. Platforms that restrict access to fan data make it harder to detect trends like bulk buying or suspicious refund activity. At Tixr, organizers always own their data. Full access supports smarter fraud detection, better audience insights, and more responsive strategy as threats evolve.

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8. Offer Order Protection

Friendly fraud often starts when fans dispute valid charges—whether due to forgetfulness, a change of plans, or confusion around refund policies. Without clear options, they turn to their bank, filing disputes that drain time and revenue. Order Protection offers a legitimate refund path for covered scenarios like illness or travel disruptions. It reduces chargebacks, preserves revenue, and lightens the load on support teams—while reinforcing trust with buyers.

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9. Run Post-Onsale Fraud Scrubs

Fraud doesn’t always surface during the onsale. Scrubbing orders post-sale helps identify issues like unusually fast checkout speed, geographic anomalies, or ties to previous chargebacks. We work directly with partners to detect these patterns before tickets are delivered or transferred.

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While threats from bad actors may never disappear completely, you don't have to accept them as the norm. With the right strategies, it's possible to embed protection into every phase of the fan journey. These nine tools work together to minimize risk, protect revenue, and create a more trustworthy experience for real fans.

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Ready to see how Tixr can transform your ticketing and live event strategy? Book a demo today.