As Scotland prepares for one of its biggest years in its recent history, sports and music fans are being urged to be careful where they buy their tickets.
Thousands will be trying to secure tickets for a wide range of events, including T in the Park, the Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games.
Every year, many people pay for tickets from an increasing number of scam websites and never receive them.
People who fall victim to fake ticketing websites lose an average of £80 each, but festival-goers can lose far more, with hundreds of pounds being scammed.
The fraudsters often promote their websites on social networking sites, creating a user group with a link to their site, and posting positive feedback about themselves.
Perth and Kinross Council’s Trading Standards team is leading the fight against the criminals as major events take place in their area.
Community safety convener Douglas Pover said: “Do not assume that ‘.co.uk’ means that the seller is based in the UK. Use a domain name search site, such as www.domainnameshop.co.uk, to find where the site is registered.
“Perth and Kinross Trading Standards know of several websites that have turned out to be based in China.
“Make sure the company behind the website provides a full street address for their business, not just a post office or mailbox number and try its UK landline phone number.
“Be wary of buying from a site that only gives an email address or mobile phone number.”
Ryder Cup 2014 organisers have taken extensive steps to ensure no one is scammed, including a detailed application procedure requiring the submission of photographic ID prior to booking.
Their 10-point security system has been introduced as part of extensive efforts to prevent fraud and prevent touts from profiteering through inflated ticket prices.
Despite the efforts, there have already been warnings about companies offering hospitality packages to the Ryder Cup, which may or may not include actual entry to the competition days.
T in the Park organisers urge music fans to purchase only from official ticket outlets.
In 2011, hundreds of Scots lost out after attempting to purchase tickets from an unofficial T in the Park website.