S.Africa and FIFA combat World Cup ticket touts

South Africa’s trade minister warned football fans on Monday against purchasing World Cup tickets from touts or other unauthorised vendors, saying buyers could lose their money.

“We are concerned that consumers may be prejudiced by believing that they can purchase tickets through avenues which are not authorised by FIFA,” trade minister Rob Davies said in a joint statement with the world football body.

“Consumers could lose the money that they have paid for tickets or be left in a situation of not receiving the tickets that they have paid for.”

Those selling illegal tickets for the tournament could be prosecuted under a new regulation enacted by Davies, South Africa’s department of trade and industry and football governing body FIFA said in a joint statement.

Under the electronic sales system used by FIFA, every ticket can be traced to its original buyer.

The ticket design features several security features, including a barcode with individual ticket information and a hologram of the World Cup logo.

Organisers say electronic turnstiles will be used at the ten host stadiums, making it easy to detect invalid or forged tickets.

With just over three weeks to go until the tournament’s June 11 kick-off, FIFA says more than 2.5 million of the roughly three million tickets have been sold.

FIFA last month introduced over-the-counter ticket sales in South Africa, following complaints that its Internet sales system was too difficult to access in a country with relatively little online access.