Fraudsters 'To Target 2010 Festivals With Fake Wristbands'

Con artists are set to target festivals next summer by selling fake wristbands, an industry expert claims.

Speaking at the UK Festival Awards conference in London today, Reg Walker from Idrim Security who works with Reading, V, T in the Park and Isle of Wight issued a stark warning.

Walker alleged there was evidence that fraudsters staged “test runs” in 2009 with a view to hit the festivals on a larger scale next year.

He explained that around 100 fake wristbands were seized at Reading Festival in August and they were worryingly realistic.

Walker said: "What's worrying is the quality of the wristband, right down to the barcode. They're highly convincing and virtually indistinguishable from the real item."

"And when you have hundreds of people all trying to get through the gates, the pressure is on the security staff to let people in. Fortunately they were on the ball in this case."

According to the BBC, he added: "I believe it was a test run and that next year there is a plan to manufacture them in their thousands.

"One or more of the major festivals is going to get hit unless we deal with this now. This is the most serious problem and the most serious challenge we face in 2010."

It's believed that one in five festival goers attending The Isle of Wight Festival in 2007 had fake wristbands.