Each year, Norway welcomes famous performers, musicians, artists, and sports teams, making tickets for these events highly sought after.

To ensure fair access and combat black market resales, the country enforces strict regulations on buying and selling event tickets.

READ MORE: The most unmissable events in Norway in 2024

Buying tickets safely

Buying tickets from official sellers is the safest way to ensure their authenticity.

That’s why the Norwegian Consumer Council advises buying directly from event organisers or authorised ticket vendors.

When buying from a third party, such as individual (re)sellers, it is crucial to trust the seller and keep detailed contact information and receipts (if any issues arise).

It is also recommended that you ensure that they have a good reputation by checking online reviews and ratings.

While this doesn’t guarantee that your purchase will be 100 percent safe, it will minimise the risk of a scam.

Norway’s rules prohibiting mark-ups in ticket resales

Since July 1st, 2007, Norway has enforced the Black Market Act, which prohibits reselling tickets for cultural and sports events at a higher price than their original purchase value (Lov om forbud mot prispåslag ved videresalg av billetter til kultur- og idrettsarrangementer).

This legislation aims to prevent exploitation and ensure fair ticket access.

Furthermore, sellers must inform buyers of the original ticket price. If overcharged, buyers can demand a refund for the excess amount paid, and the Consumer Council can assist with mediation if necessary.

Although breaking this law is an offence, there are no specific penalties. However, buyers can still pursue refunds through legal channels.

Common ticket-related scams

Ticket scams are, unfortunately, common in Norway, particularly when it comes to digital sales.

These scams have become so prevalent that, for some of the biggest and most popular events, Norway’s largest online marketplace, Finn.no, has downright blocked ticket resales.

“We see that the risk of fraud, or the sale of tickets at a higher price than the tickets were bought for, can often be great in such situations. Then we choose to stop selling tickets,” Finn’s head of consumer safety, Geir Petter Gjefsen, told the newspaper Aftenposten in a 2022 comment.

READ MORE: Norway’s most common phone and internet scams and how to avoid them

However, although Finn.no stopped second-hand sales for many events and festivals, there are many other places and marketplaces where tickets can be sold and bought.

The most common scam involves selling the same ticket multiple times, leaving many buyers with invalid tickets.

This type of fraud is usually known as a copy scam. Only the first buyer to use the ticket can gain entry, while the rest are left with worthless tickets.

Tips to avoid ticket scams

To avoid falling victim to ticket scams, it is important to know the seller and ensure they are reputable.

As we’ve already mentioned, using social media and search engines to check for negative reviews or warnings about the seller can help determine their trustworthiness.

When buying from companies, use a credit card. Credit cards usually offer protection under the Norwegian Financial Contracts Act, enabling you to reclaim money if something goes wrong.

It is risky to buy from private individuals unless you know and trust them. If you are unsure, it is better to refrain from the purchase.

Where are tickets bought and sold?

When buying tickets directly, most major ticketing companies, like Ticketmaster, operate in Norway. You can purchase tickets directly from the organiser for events like festivals or football matches.

So, if you want Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard to strut their stuff for Norway, you should head to the website of the Norwegian FA. If it’s a festival you are after, it’s best to go to the festival’s website.

Secondhand tickets are more complicated. As mentioned before, Finn has banned the sale of tickets. Therefore anyone on here doing so is breaking the site’s policies. As tickets cannot be sold for above face value, second place ticket marketplaces also haven’t taken off in the same way as they have in other countries.

TicketSwap is one website where people can buy and sell tickets that have already been purchased. Both buyers and sellers on the platform are verified to try and make transactions as safe as possible.

Some take to Facebook groups to try to sell tickets for events they can no longer attend. However, this doesn’t come with the same layer of protection. Furthermore, scammers can infiltrate groups and try to take advantage of people’s desperation by advertising fake tickets for super popular tours and concerts.

What to do If you’ve bought fake tickets in Norway

If you have bought fake tickets, the first step is to contact the seller and demand a refund.

Unfortunately, many scammers disappear after the sale, making it difficult to recover your money.

Reporting the fraud to the police can help if multiple complaints are made against the same person.

Additionally, you can submit your case to the Norwegian Consumer Protection Authority (Forbrukerrådet) to get support from their dedicated team.

However, these processes can be lengthy.