• Danger of fans paying too much for resale tickets, or being scammed
• Consumer Protection investigating 121 individuals suspected of ticket scalping
• Only buy resale tickets through the authorised ticket seller's resale page

Coldplay fans desperate to secure a ticket to sold out concerts at Optus Stadium next month are being warned against buying resale tickets online.

As the countdown to the British band's arrival winds up, the Cook Government is concerned ticket scalpers and scammers may ramp up efforts to target unsuspecting music lovers desperate to attend the concerts on November 18 and 19.

The State Government is warning Coldplay fans who missed out through Ticketmaster to only buy resale tickets from Ticketmaster's Fan-to-Fan resale page, to avoid paying unlawfully inflated prices or being scammed and paying money for a ticket that doesn't provide entry. All tickets transferred or resold on Ticketmaster's Fan-to-Fan resale page are verified by Ticketmaster and re-issued in the buyer's name.

Tickets to both Perth shows sold out within hours of going on sale through Ticketmaster, the authorised ticket agent, in May.

Since then, Consumer Protection has received a total of 216 reports of unauthorised resellers and individuals selling tickets to the Coldplay concerts via websites or classified advertising sites, at prices above the 10 per cent mark-up limit set by Western Australian ticket scalping laws. From these reports, 121 individuals are currently being investigated.

Action was taken by Consumer Protection against ticket scalpers earlier this year, with fines of $2,000 each issued to 17 people who advertised or offered tickets at illegal mark-ups to the Ed Sheeran and UFC 284 events.

Fans seeking to sell their tickets to the event should only use Ticketmaster's Fan-to-Fan resale function to ensure any tickets they sell via Ticketmaster's resale website are compliant with the ticket scalping laws.

Individual fans wishing to sell their tickets on other websites may be subject to further investigation if their offers or advertisements online do not comply with WA's strict ticket scalping laws.

Anyone who buys tickets from unauthorised ticket reselling platforms and classified websites, like Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, risks being turned away from the venue if the ticket is invalid or fake.

People who see tickets being advertised online for more than 10 per cent of their original value, or who are scammed with a fake ticket, should lodge a report with Consumer Protection by emailing consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au or calling 1300 30 40 54.

For information on what to include in your ticket scalping report, visit Consumer Protection's ticket scalping and reselling website page.

Comments attributed to Commerce Minister Sue Ellery:

"Coldplay concerts are hugely popular, and events of this size and scale are when ticket scalpers and scammers will strike, exploiting fans by charging illegally high prices or issuing fake tickets that will see them turned away at the door.

"Our message is clear - people keen to try to make a quick buck by re-selling tickets at huge mark-ups should think again. They risk not only losing that profit, but could end up thousands of dollars out of pocket if they receive an infringement notice or go to court.

"The only safe option for fans wanting to attend the events is through Ticketmaster's official resale site, Fan-to-Fan, and we urge anyone who sees ticket resellers doing the wrong thing to report them to Consumer Protection for investigation."