RIYADH – Saudi Interpol has warned against a number of deceptive websites that dupe people into buying fake tickets for the London Olympics. Saudi Interpol said that tickets should be purchased only through the official London Olympics website www.tickets.london2012.com or through official agencies in Saudi Arabia. A London 2012 spokeswoman was quoted as saying that a few people arrived with fake tickets at Lord's Cricket Ground Friday morning to watch the men's archery ranking round. “There are a number of unofficial websites claiming to sell tickets; we therefore advise people to be extremely cautious and vigilant when attempting to buy tickets and only purchase from an official source,” said the spokeswoman. She said a fraudulent website liveolympictickets.com selling unauthorized tickets was shut down. London 2012 has launched the Ticketing website checker, an online site that allows sports fans who want to go to the Olympic Games to find out whether ticket sellers are legitimate or illegal. Visitors to the webpage can enter the full web address for their own peace of mind. Action Fraud, the British reporting center for fraud, has said: “If you see tickets for sale on any website, other than the London 2012 official website; do not buy them; it is likely to be a scam.” Nick Downing, head of the London Metropolitan Police Service's anti-fraud team Operation Podium, said visitors may not even know they are victims until they arrive at stadiums and arenas with counterfeit tickets that were sold to them months ago in their home countries. The 320,000 global visitors attending the Olympics will be part of an economic boost of an additional £804 million ($1.3 billion) in consumer spending from the Games, according to a report published in June by Visa Inc. Downing said the combination of money and unsuspecting holiday makers creates a ‘‘honey pot'' for attracting crooks. Operation Podium has made 186 arrests so far for a range of offenses including ticket scalping, known as touting in the UK, fraud and theft. Of those, 100 have been charged, and 57 convicted. The team currently has 20 open investigations. — Agencies
