Tourism Indochina: Beijing Olympic tickets scammer first winner in global Internet scam

Tourism Indochina: Beijing Olympic tickets scammer first winner in global Internet scam

(Tourism Indochina:Date : 2008-08-07):

Just days ahead of the Beijing Olympics opening, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and US Olympic Committee have filed a lawsuit in the US to shut down a fraudulent Internet site offering non-existent Olympic tickets after receiving complaints from around the world.


The bogus site (www.beijingtickets.com) is believed to have raked in an estimated US$50 million worldwide. At least six other websites are believed to be selling non-existent or illegitimate tickets to the Games.


The global Internet scam is based in Arizona, in the US, has been offering tickets to numerous events that were sold out months ago, and boasts of offices New York, London and Sydney. The site carries the official Beijing Games logo.


According to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), organizers of the event in Beijing, tickets for events in Beijing were sold out last week. Only tickets for events in co-host cities are still available.


"We thought we were making a legitimate purchase," Chante Parthak, whose family had bought about $5,000 worth of tickets from the site, told a Canadian newspaper. She now plans to claim her losses from Visa. "Tickets offered on other sites were not only expensive, but hard to come by. It was hard to get tickets for the closing ceremony."


News reports from Australia also quoted a buyer from Brisbane spent $42,000 for tickets that didn't arrive. "It appears to be a worldwide scam," Tony Robinson, Minister of consumer affairs for Victoria state, said. "It appears a lot of people have been taken in by a very professional scam, a worldwide scam."


Families of Olympic athletes in the US, Canada, Japan, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and even China are reportedly among those who have fallen victim to the scam. Jim Moriarity, a US lawyer based in Houston who lost $12,000, plans to also represent other victims in subsequent legal actions against the IOC. "They know about these sites for months, but did nothing. They have now dashed the hopes and reams of thousands of people who have been planning for years to go to the Games, and paid thousands of dollars for tickets and airfares."


"The worst thing is some people don't even know yet they have bought tickets that won't arrive, " said John Coates, Australian Olympic Committee president. "Buyers should only deal with authorized ticket suppliers."


By Yusof Sulaiman, eTN Asia/Pacific

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Going for gold ... or bronze

Despite having no hope of upstaging powerhouse nations like China and the United States at the Beijing Olympics, Cambodia's young contenders set off with a spring in their step on Wednesday, eager to show the world what the Kingdom can achieve.


"I'm very proud as is it my first time to compete at the Olympic Games," said freestyle swimmer Hem Thon Vitiny. "I've trained in swimming since I was 5 years old," the 16-year-old, who has reached the finals in international competitions such as the SEA Games, told the Post before the team boarded their flight to China where the games are to start today and close August 24.


Cambodia is one of the world's sporting minnows and for a myriad of reasons - political, geographical, financial - native athletic prowess has never really matured. While host-nation China plans to wipe the board and will not be happy unless it beats the USA in its gold medal tally, Cambodia would be content with just one medal - and a bronze at that. Here, the Kingdom is not alone; more than 80 countries of the 250 competing in Beijing have never before been on the Olympic podium.


"Our country is small, but I'm proud to represent at the Olympic games," Hem Thon, secretary general of the Khmer Amateur Swimming Federation, told the Post as Cambodia's Olympic delegation arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport. "We will at least show the Cambodian flag and its culture to the international community."


Flying the flag


Hem Thon, who was among the delegation accompanying the athletes, said the Cambodian teams do not expect to earn medals during the competitions, in which they will be competing with the top amateur athletes from around the world.


"Of course I'm strong in Cambodia, but other countries are also strong," said Hem Bunting, 25, Cambodia's top marathon runner. "After finishing the competition we will see how strong or weak we are."


Runner Sou Titlinda, 16, also left Wednesday for the Olympics. Swimmer Hem Thon Ponleu, 18, left Thursday on account of taking exams."I will try my best and I think at least we could come into the finals," Hem Bunting said before departing.


Written by Cheang Sokha

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