'pounds 1* ROCK 'N' ROLL TICKET SCANDAL' Music fans' fury after website fails to deliver.(News)

Byline: GARY ANDERSON

HUNDREDS of music fans say they have been swindled out of concert tickets in an internet scam that could top pounds 1million.

Punters desperate to see sold-out gigs by artists including Take That, Adele and the Arctic Monkeys paid up to pounds 240 a ticket to website ticketindex.net, which promised it could get them seats.

But the tickets never arrived.

Fraud police launched an investigation earlier this month after hundreds of disappointed Take That fans deluged the Government's fraud hotline with complaints about the site.

Police have since arrested David Spanton, 41, after an investigation.

National Fraud Intelligence Bureau officers are investigating around 700 complaints linked to the site - but it is thought the number of victims could run into thousands.

Most punters say they have lost around pounds 200 for a pair of tickets but some spent upwards of pounds 2,000 on bulk orders.

Sources within the police believe the number of alleged victims being talked about at the moment could push the sums of money involved into the hundreds of thousands and the total could top pounds 1million. Furious customers have flooded internet forums with complaints about the site after losing out on tickets for shows by artists including Neil Diamond and Kings of Leon.

The highest volume of complaints relate to Take That's Progress Tour, which kicked off on May 29 and will be seen by 1.75million fans.

Most alleged victims were promised their tickets would be delivered by post around 10 days before their chosen show, so they only realised they had not received tickets at the last minute.

Peter McNamara spent pounds 930 on six tickets for Take That's June 12 Manchester gig as a treat for his wife, four daughters and daughter-in-law.

He said: "I searched for 'Manchester Take That tickets' on Google and this ticketindex website came up, which looked like a very professional operation. I paid for the tickets by card and when I phoned their number a recorded message said they would be delivered 10 days before the date of the concert.

"When the tickets didn't arrive on time I tried ringing back but it was impossible to get through. Fortunately I've been told my bank can recover the money."

Steve Bray, 42, of Neath, South Wales, tried contacting the site to ask why his pounds 200 V Festival ticket had not turned up.

Steve said: "All I got was an automated message saying the phone lines were down due to technical difficulties."

The Ticketindex.net site appeared to be taking orders for sold-out events even after Spanton's arrest - before it was finally shut down last Wednesday. He is currently on bail.

When the Sunday Mirror called at his home on Friday, a woman answered the intercom and said: "Go away, p*** off."

CAPTION(S):

Arrest... Spanton Sold-out... tickets for the Arctic Monkeys failed to arrive ticketindex.net is alleged to have ripped off music fans Favourite... fans were left disappointed after paying to see Adele