Ticketing platform Eventbrite has said it will refund those that were scammed into purchasing tickets for a non-existent New Year’s Eve yacht party just off Adelaide’s coastline.
According to a report from ABC News, South Australia Police are investigating an incident which saw more than 100 people pay for tickets to the party which did not exist. Buyers turned up at Glenelg to board a boat and celebrate the New Year, but the boat never arrived.
An Eventbrite spokesperson said those that had paid for the A$120 (£68/€78/$82) tickets through the platform will be refunded.
“All evidence we have right now points towards the conclusion that the advertised ‘NYE on the Bay Boat Party’ in Glenelg was a fraudulent event, and we are therefore refunding all attendees in full today,” said the spokesperson, as per ABC News.
“It can take 5-7 business days for those refunds to show in the attendees’ accounts.
“We will learn from this case to continue to evolve our detection mechanisms to stay ahead of scammers, and we are cooperating with South Australia Police to support their investigation into the people behind this event.”
Local real estate agent Callum Kennedy told ABC Radio Adelaide that his identity and ABN (Australian business number) were stolen to make the event seem legitimate. Kennedy has previously registered a similar, but not quite identical, business name linked to the scam. The social media accounts used to promote the party appeared to have copied his profiles.