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If you are planning to buy tickets for the London Summer Olympics on line, make sure to check the website before making any purchases. Otherwise you may find out that your tickets are forged or that you never get them.

The European Consumer Centre urges those planning to buy Olympic tickets to act with caution. In order to avoid disappointments you should not use the services of the first online outlet you find.

Like other large international events, the London Summer Olympics have also attracted bogus vendors. If you use unauthorised outlets, you may not necessarily get the tickets you have ordered and paid for in advance or the tickets you get may be forged. At this point, the vendor probably no longer answers any queries.

Before you buy your tickets, you should check whether the vendor appears on the list of reliable outlets posted on the official website of the London Olympics. You should also remember the following:

• Check whether the name, address and other contact information of the outlet can easily be found on its website. If not, the outlet may also have other things to hide.

• Make sure that paying on the website is secure. The address should be in “https” format and a padlock symbol should appear on the screen.

• Check the background of the outlet using the Howard Shopping Assistant .

• Remember that buying tickets to an event that is already sold out is always a risky thing.

• If the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

• Pay for you purchases with your credit card. If you don’t get the tickets you can ask for a refund from your credit card company.