Four people were arrested as trading standards officials raided a number of properties as part of its investigation into the secondary ticketing market.
National Trading Standards (NTS) swooped on four locations, with four arrested on suspicion of breaching consumer protection regulations. It said it would not comment further on the raids or identity of those arrested at this time.
The body, which is responsible for gathering intelligence from around the country to combat rogue traders, said a range of equipment including computers, mobile phones and storage devices have been seized as evidence.
The NTS began an investigation into the practices of businesses that buy and sell tickets in bulk in April, funded by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
It said it has been working closely with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which announced last month that it will take action against secondary ticketing websites suspected of breaking consumer protection law.
“Officers from National Trading Standards conducted raids at a number of properties across the UK,” said a statement from the body. “These raids are part of an ongoing investigation looking into unfair practices in the secondary ticketing market and particularly the practices of businesses that buy and sell tickets in bulk.”
A spokesman for anti-touting campaign group FanFair Alliance said: “FanFair Alliance welcomes what sounds like a comprehensive raid by National Trading Standards.
“With new legislation due for enforcement in 2018, and the Competition and Markets Authority promising action against secondary ticketing sites that break consumer protection laws, this should mark the beginning of a long-awaited clean-up of this market.”
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