Tickets, e-vouchers and gift cards: the highest-risk resale category

    Among everything traded on secondhand apps, tickets and vouchers have the highest scam rate. What changes hands is a right, not an object — it is harder to verify, and once it has been redeemed there is no way to get it back. This guide covers the specific risks in this category and how to protect yourself.

    Tickets, e-vouchers and gift cards: the highest-risk resale category
    TradingBy the Near Dee Trust & Safety teamLast updated: 5 min read

    1. Why this category is riskier than physical goods

    Concert tickets, flight tickets, restaurant vouchers and every kind of e-voucher share one trait: the same code can be sold to several buyers before anyone realises it is fake or already used. A single seller can send the same QR code to multiple people at once — whoever redeems it first gets in, and everyone else who paid has nothing physical they could have inspected beforehand.

    2. Ticket resale rules in Thailand you should know

    Terms for most concerts and large events prohibit reselling above face value, and some events tie the buyer's name to their ID card from the moment of purchase, making resale impossible under any circumstances, even by mutual agreement. Read the organiser's terms before agreeing to a resale — if entry is refused at the door, the organiser takes no responsibility for a private resale deal.

    3. Verify directly with the issuer

    Do not trust a screenshot of a ticket or QR code the seller sends you. Ask for the order number and contact the event organiser, ticketing platform, or the shop that issued the voucher directly to confirm the code has not been used and whose name it is registered under. For mall or restaurant gift cards, always call the merchant's hotline to check the remaining balance before you transfer money.

    4. Safer ways to hand it over

    For tickets scanned at the door, meet in person and scan the screen together before paying, or ask the seller to transfer the right through the platform's official function (many ticketing apps have a formal 'transfer ticket' feature) rather than sending a screenshot, since a screenshot can be reused and resent to someone else. For numeric voucher codes, wait to see the actual code together with proof of remaining balance from the merchant before sending full payment.

    5. Red flags specific to this category

    • The seller pressures you to pay first because 'someone else is waiting to buy it'.
    • They refuse a call or video verification while holding the actual ticket.
    • The price is far below face value for an event everyone wants to attend.
    • A voucher is sold with no purchase receipt and no way to show the remaining balance from the merchant's own app.

    6. What to do if you have already been scammed

    Save every piece of evidence immediately: the chat history, the transfer slip, and any images of the ticket or voucher you received. Report the seller in the app with that evidence attached, file a report at your local police station to obtain documents needed for a bank freeze request, and contact your bank to request a freeze on the receiving account as fast as possible — the longer you wait, the less likely a recovery becomes.

    Ticket scam scenarios reported most often

    • Just before a popular concert, someone 'urgently' offers tickets at face value, asks for prepayment and disappears.
    • The same e-ticket QR code is sold to several people; only the first person scanned gets in.
    • Real ticket photos are reused after the ticket was already sold to someone else.
    • Fake booking-confirmation emails or forged ticketing-app screens.
    • Cheap hotel stays or buffet vouchers that cannot be renamed or were already used.

    Steps for buying and selling safely

    • If the ticketing platform has an official transfer or name-change function, trade only through it. If the seller refuses, stop.
    • For paper tickets, meet near the venue, inspect the ticket and then pay.
    • For stays and vouchers, call the issuing hotel or restaurant with the booking number to confirm validity and transferability.
    • Avoid prices far above face value; some events ban resale and cancel resold tickets.
    • Before paying, check the seller's verified area, account age and reviews.

    If you are scammed

    Save transfer records, chat screens and the seller's account details at once, and ask your bank to freeze the payment. In Thailand you can report to the online-fraud hotline 1441 or the police online reporting site; tourists can contact the Tourist Police on 1155. Reporting the user in the Near Dee app also helps stop further victims.

    Questions to settle before paying

    • Is a QR-code screenshot enough? No. It is easy to copy and the riskiest method.
    • The seller sent an ID photo. Can I trust it? ID photos can be stolen; do not rely on them alone.
    • Who gets the refund if the event is cancelled? Without an official transfer the original buyer is refunded, so agree on this in advance.

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