Drake fans scammed with fake tickets for London shows

Hundreds of Drake fans were left distraught when they were turned away from the rapper's London gigs this week (beg24Mar14) after their tickets were found to be fake.

The Started From The Bottom rapper played three shows at London's O2 Arena to packed audiences, but bosses at the venue have revealed they refused entry to as many as 170 people a night amid a major ticket scam.

The fake tickets are said to have been purchased from secondary sellers such as touts or via social media or classifieds advertisements.

A spokesperson for the O2 Arena says, "The Commercial Protection Unit (CPU) team are onsite at events we identify as at risk of fraudulent activity and they assist all victims of ticket fraud. Our CPU team draws on its extensive experience in the field to monitor a range of websites looking for suspicious purchase trends and behaviour. The team also go through the list of buyers in advance to cancel tickets of any known touts; these tickets are then made available for public sale to ensure genuine fans get in to the show."

Last month (Feb14), hundreds of Beyonce fans fell prey to a counterfeit ticket racket at her gig in Manchester, England. The scam is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the British Transport Police.