Police Issue Warning over Fake Pemberton Music Festival Tickets

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Jul 15, 2015

BC RCMP have issued a warning to last-minute ticket buyers looking to make it to this week's Pemberton Music Festival, informing potential festivalgoers that fake tickets have begun to surface through resale markets like Craigslist.

The news comes a day after officers in Coquitlam, BC, dealt with a violent confrontation between a group of local men and a purported conman who had attempted to sell them phony tickets. The Tri-Cities Now [via the Vancouver Sun] reports that a 21-year-old man was trying to sell fraudulent tickets, priced at $280 each.

Even after suspecting the tickets might not be legit, the men set up a meeting with the seller at a local strip mall. There, a verbal argument escalated into a physical altercation, which led to the RCMP being called to the scene. The as-yet-unnamed 21-year-old ticket seller was arrested, and police are considering charges.

"Our investigation indicates the alleged fake tickets are copies of the genuine ones," RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung revealed, adding that the seized tickets have serial numbers on them. "At this point, we cannot be certain if fraudulent tickets with other serial numbers were sold."

The rest of the men were not charged, though officials noted that the situation should have been handled differently. Chung added, "It is not the best way to go about something like this. What people should do is contact police right away and then we'll start to investigate. What's done is done, and we'll carry it forward from this point."

Police are now urging anyone who bought Pemberton Music Festival tickets through third-party sellers to contact event organizers to confirm that the tickets are in fact legit. You can also contact police at 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2015-23032.

Though the Pemberton Music Festival is staging a show with Sam Roberts in nearby Whistler tonight (July 15), the festival runs on the Pemberton grounds July 16 to 19. As previously reported, the lineup features the likes of Kendrick Lamar, the Black Keys, Missy Elliot, Weezer, Run the Jewels, Skrillex, Tobias Jesso Jr., J. Cole, Father John Misty, Matt and Kim, and many more.
 

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