FED: Beijing ticket scammer is 49-year-old Briton: investigator

AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-2008
FED: Beijing ticket scammer is 49-year-old Briton: investigator

SYDNEY, Aug 5 AAP - The mastermind behind the Beijing Olympics ticketing scam is a
49-year-old Briton with a long history of internet-based fraud, says a Sydney private
investigator.

Ken Gamble has been tracking the activities of Londoner Terance Shepherd, now believed
to be based in Barbados, since 2003.

Mr Gamble says Shephard, 49, was behind a series of illegitimate ticket-selling operations
which had targeted major sporting events, including Rugby World Cup matches in Australia.

"It's an extraordinarily well organised syndicate of fake websites, which also deliberately
oversells tickets for major events on legitimate websites," Mr Gamble has told Fairfax.

"The story's always the same - it's an unfortunate mistake or someone has let them down.

"They promise a refund which never happens and the credit companies end up paying all
the refunds. It's all part of the elaborate scam."

Mr Gamble also said Shephard viewed the Beijing Olympics as "one last massive sting"

before he would retire.

Shephard came to the attention of the National Rugby League in 2003 after his company
Sports Mondial was found to have obtained illegally $22,000 worth of tickets for the grand
final.

The Supreme Court ruled Sports Mondial was a black market ticket seller and ordered
the company to refund more than $36,000 to 81 clients who had purchased hospitality packages.

Fairfax says a further $400,000 loss was not reported at the time - and it involved
a Sydney events company which purchased $1 million Rugby World Cup tickets from a Shepherd
syndicate but only $600,000 worth were delivered.

Mr Gamble says he tracked down Shepherd's former Sydney-based frontman at the Rugby
World Cup in Paris last year where he was served a court summons over the 2003 scam.

AAP dr/goc/cmc

KEYWORD: OLY08 AUST TICKETS

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