Lantern festivals scams 

Advertisements for fake sky lantern festivals spreading across social media, prompting a warning for WA consumers to be on alertfor scams and avoid buying tickets to events that do not exist.

Victims who have paid for tickets to the bogus events. The scammers claim that “biodegradable and recycled” paper lanterns will be released into the sky, but no such event has been scheduled or approved to operate at either Kings Park or Langley Park.

The sponsored social media ads are directing consumers to professional-looking fake websites offering event tickets for around $50 each in various cities across Australia, including Perth. These sites encourage payment via credit cardand the entry of personal information, which if provided will be captured and potentially misused by scammers. With certain event dates marked as ‘sold-out’ and later dates appearing available, consumers may not realise they have been scammed until it is too late to submit a chargeback request with their financial provider.

Please note, it is illegal for open flame lanterns to be released in Australia due to the significant fire and burns hazard they pose.

How to protect yourself

• Be wary of websites selling goods well below market prices.
• Look at the overall quality of the website, grammatical errors in text and poorly edited images.
• Be very suspicious if scammers ask you to pay via electronic funds transfer or using a money order, pre-loaded money card or a crypto currency such as Bitcoin; as it’s rare to recover money that is sent this way.
• Use payment methods such as credit card or PayPal, which allow you to dispute transactions when you do not receive the goods or something else goes wrong.
• Take the time to locate the real website of the legitimate business and contact them independently to verify their offer is genuine.
• Do an internet search of the website and business to read comments and reviews from other consumers who have used the same site.
• Ask to see and inspect the goods in person.

❗️ Do NOT buy from these websites 

WA ScamNet warns consumers not to buy event tickts from the following fraudulent websites. While WA ScamNet will try to remove fake websites and social media pages as soon as possible, they warn that scam pages often quickly reappear under different names – so ongoing caution is advised:

• AU Skylight Event - https://au.skylightevent.com
• Lantern Fest Australia - https://lanternfestaustralia.com
• Sky Dreams Australia - https://skydreamsaustraliaevent.com
• UK The Sky Light Event - https://ca.skylightevent.com/