Family lose £1,300 in tickets web scam

Jeff Deacon, of Stapley Lane, logged onto the popular trading website last September after being unable to get tickets for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.

Mr Deacon said he paid £1,300 for four tickets to four separate group stage games at the tournament.

Mr Deacon had bought the tickets for his son, Connor, 10, and his friend, Max Parker, also 10. Both play rugby for a youth team at Alton Rugby Club.

But when Mr Deacon contacted the Kent-based seller for the tickets in May, he was told he had gone out of business and would not be honouring their agreement.

Mr Deacon's wife Maria said they had been very careful before they handed over any money, and that they had even seen a receipt for the tickets.

Mrs Deacon said: "My husband is not a complete fool. "He got his (the seller's) name and address and checked the lot. We paid the money directly into his personal bank account.

"It looks like he's bought one set of tickets and resold it numerous times."

Mr Deacon said: "It's a classic case of people getting ripped off, and there seems to be no policing of it.

"It's endemic on Ebay that people are selling tickets that they don't possess.

"And who's the victim? Not me, I'm a big boy, but two 10-year-olds should be there experiencing the time of their lives. They're devastated."

Mrs Deacon said she wanted to make other people aware of the case to avoid it happening to other people.

She added: "To be honest when someone says they're bankrupt we don't expect to get our money or tickets, but we can't let him get away with it.

"There has to be some sort of redress."

When the couple contacted Ebay they said they were unable to act because it was more than 60 days since the transaction.

Mr Deacon said it took several phone calls to convince Kent police to launch an investigation, who said it was a civil rather than a criminal matter.

Nobody from either Ebay or trading standards was available to comment at the time of going to press.