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back to article Olympic ticket scammers still going for gold

In the age of the P-p-p-p-powerbook and the ubiquitous 419 scammer, it comes as no surprise that many people have fallen for a Beijing Olympics ticketing scam that seems to have hit people all across the world. Due to the rarity of tickets for the games, and the particular setup of the scam site (and others), there was a lot of …

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  1. Dennis
    Stop

    Get an early start

    A quick check shows some of the domains available for four years time.

    londonticketing.net

    londonticketing.org

    londonticketing.co.uk

    londonticketing.org.uk

    londonticketing.me.uk

    londonticketing.ltd.uk

    london2012.ltd.uk

    londonolympics.ltd.uk

    2012london.ltd.uk

    2012london.uk.net

    olympicslondon.ltd.uk

    olympics2012.ltd.uk

    olympics2012.uk.net

    olympics2012.gb.com

    2012olympics.ltd.uk

    londonolympictickets.ltd.uk

    ticketsforlondonolympics.org

    ticketsforlondonolympics.org.uk

    ticketsforlondonolympics.me.uk

    ticketsforlondonolympics.ltd.uk

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  2. Jason Ward
    Paris Hilton

    And you add more legitmacy...

    ... just by linking from El Reg.

    Not because the article misleads, but because the more links from more legit sites the more Google et al will see it is a legit site.

    Paris because she needs no legitimacy and gets wherever she wants without tickets.

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  3. Charles Manning

    Here in NZ

    It looks like the bad site is blocked by local DNS.

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  4. Skinny

    @ Dennis

    I hope you used network solutions to search for those, then they won't be available for a few days at least.

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  5. Adrian Esdaile
    Black Helicopters

    Lots of high-profile Aussies got burnt by this...

    and yet it seems the site is based in Arizona, and US authorities were warned 9 months ago? (sourced from local SMH reports)

    Surely the US aren't engaging in a dirty tricks and lies campaign to discredit and obfuscate China's Olympics?

    Nah, couldn't be that, they'd never do something like that!

    "Is that your laptop? Hand it over...and yourpasswords..."

    I've never heard that when passing through Chinese customs...

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  6. Goat Jam

    Someone please explain

    why I would ever trust MSNBC?

    Is it because it is run by <ahem> journalists?

    Or perhaps because it is affiliated with Microsoft?

    The number of journalists who post badly researched articles in the media, both print and online is a source of ever increasing hilarity. Anybody who thinks some dunderheaded journo who is racing to get the article out before his competitors is going to have clue 1 about the veracity of what they are posting is just asking for trouble.

    As for Microsoft, well I don't think we need to go any further down that path.

    The fact that they made such a monumental cock-up AND THEN quietly swept it under the carpet without trying to undo some of the damage they caused speaks volumes about the ethics and morality of these clowns.

    Paris, because she too needs a visit from the cluebat.

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  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Olympic Scam...

    ...what's new?

    And in lighter news, I hear that "non-member country flags" are expressly forbidden... for those of us on the European side of the pond that means we have permission to wave only a Union Jack, but not a Cross of St George, a Saltire, Bhratach Náisiúnta, Y Ddraig Goch or watever part of a sheep you like most. 3 cheers for the "open" and "a-political" olympics eh?

    Oh well, at least Paris is still open.

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  8. Nick Askew

    How could we block these scammers?

    Well if we also had a Great Firewall of Europe then perhaps blacklisting and indeed blocking these sites would be simple. Oh how the Chinese must be laughing at our backward western ways.

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  9. Danny
    Paris Hilton

    Speaking of chinese customs.

    Ive never had to take my shoes off or get fingerprinted or iris scanned (albeit was a few years ago when I last went, things might have changed now). My liquids were not tested, my passport was scanned but the queue moved rapidly.

    However, the hell that was LAX where, because of my UK passport, I needed to go through "pre security checks" before checking in which meant one queue (for an hour) then go through another security check for another hour and a half (even though they had checked my carry on luggage already - no checked bags. Before ANOTHER security check before boarding.

    Needless to say, I send my office buddy to the USA now, I stick with Russia these days (better duty free).

    Paris because she likes a bit of Russian.

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  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Dennis - most of these won't happen

    (1) anything including any combination of the words london, 2012 and olympics is protected by the enabling legislation and will be unceremoniously stripped from the registrant well before 2012, without compensation.

    (2) to register in .ltd.uk you need a limited company of the same name.

    (3) .me.uk is for individuals.

    (4) no one cares about uk.com or gb.com unless they're really unimaginative.

    That leaves you with:

    londonticketing.net

    londonticketing.org

    londonticketing.co.uk

    londonticketing.org.uk

    londonticketing.co.uk is a decent domain and the only example you've quoted that's worth registering. You'll find that most of the other likely contenders are already registered.

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  11. Pie

    new top level domains

    won't the new 'any' top level domain be available by 2012, if so there will be a huge number of available domains to scam from.

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