Ticket Fraud Uncovered at Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo

Between November 23 and 25, tickets for the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna were purchased through an official partner portal – and then resold via the platform trip.com. The catch: trip.com is not an official distributor, and the tickets were offered there for 21 instead of 29 euros. Apparently, unknown individuals used stolen credit cards for the original purchases.

Zoo Visitors Turned Away with Blocked Tickets

The suspicious activities were noticed thanks to vigilant accountants: Unusual bulk orders under the same name and strange customer data led to an internal alert. On November 24, 360 affected tickets were blocked, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the zoo.

Around 20 affected individuals who had purchased their tickets through trip.com appeared at the entrance at the end of November – and had to be informed on the spot. The majority showed understanding and purchased regular tickets. Whether a refund will be issued through the portal is unclear.

No Financial Losses from Fake Tickets

Thanks to the quick blocking of the suspicious tickets, the zoo did not suffer any financial loss. Trip.com also responded and took the offer offline. The cybercrime reporting office of the Federal Criminal Police Office was involved. The affected credit card holders received their money back.

The Schönbrunn Zoo appeals to all visitors to purchase tickets exclusively through the official webshop or directly at the counter. A warning was published on the website to prevent further fraud attempts. How many tickets were ultimately sold through the unauthorized portal remains under investigation.

(Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.