How to Scrub for Scalpers and Fraudulent Activity (Scalper/OTL Scrub)

Scalping and over-the-limit (OTL) purchases can lead to unhappy fans, chargebacks, and damage to your event’s reputation. Prekindle offers tools and best practices to help you detect and address these issues proactively.

What is a Scalper or OTL Scrub?

A Scalper Scrub (also known as an Over The Limit (OTL) Scrub) is the process of reviewing ticket orders to detect and address suspicious activity, including:

• Purchases that exceed the set ticket limit

• Duplicate orders under the same name, email, or billing address

• Activity suggesting the tickets are being resold on third-party marketplaces like StubHub or SeatGeek

When flagged, orders may be:

• Canceled and refunded

• Blocked from future purchases

• Manually reviewed by your team or ours

The goal is to protect inventory for genuine fans and reduce fraud or resale abuse.

How to Perform a Scalper or OTL Scrub in Prekindle

Follow these steps to identify and flag potentially fraudulent or scalper-related purchases:

1. Download the Master Purchase Report

   • Navigate to the event in your Prekindle dashboard.

   • Go to Statements and click the Master Report for the event. 

   • In the Master Report tab, Show Purchases and then click Export

2. Review for Suspicious Patterns
   Scan for any orders that meet all or most of the following criteria:

   • Multiple purchases from the same IP address

   • Multiple purchases using the same email address or billing/shipping address

   • Out-of-state purchases that hit the maximum ticket limit

   • Mismatched email/name combinations

3. Take Action

   • Flag questionable orders for internal review.

   • Cancel or refund orders that violate purchase policies or show clear signs of fraud or reselling

   • Reach out to Prekindle support if you're unsure whether an order qualifies for cancellation

4. Communicate with Customers

   • Send a list of the emails of orders you have refunded/ will be refunding to clients@prekindle.com

   • Provide the communication information for what you would like for the message to say

   • Prekindle will send an email with your message to the customers
     EXAMPLE COMMS:

                   Subject: Important Update to your Recent Prekindle Purchase

       "Your recent order for the "EVENT NAME" at "ORGANIZER/ VENUE NAME" has been cancelled due to suspicious activity.  If you feel this cancellation was made in error, please reach out to Prekindle or the venue."

Important Considerations Before Canceling Orders

Before initiating cancellations or refunds as part of a Scalper or OTL Scrub, please keep the following in mind:

• Ticket Delivery Status Matters
  If delayed delivery is not enabled for the event, tickets may have already been delivered to the buyer. In these cases, a refunded patron could still resell or attempt to use the tickets, potentially leading to confusion or issues at the door.

• Blocked Users May Circumvent Restrictions
  Even if a user is blocked after a refund, they may simply create a new email address and repurchase tickets—especially if refunded inventory is returned to public sale. 

• False Positives Can Occur
  Occasionally, legitimate buyers are mistakenly flagged and refunded. To ensure a good customer experience, we recommend reserving some ticket inventory for these cases so that affected buyers can repurchase once the issue is resolved.