Counterfeit Fair Tickets Discovered

Several thousand counterfeit carnival tickets may have been sold at discounted prices to unsuspecting buyers before the Ventura County Fair opened last week, police and park officials said Saturday.

The counterfeit tickets were sold in sheets of 20 on pink paper with a logo that appeared to match the fair’s logo and serial number on them, said Devlin Raley, publicist for Seaside Park, where the fair is being held. They look similar to the real pre-sale tickets, except the paper is a little thicker and the ink is a little darker.

“There was a very carefully considered attempt to avoid detection,” Raley said.

Sheets of 20 legitimate tickets were sold for $20 through employers such as the city of Ventura or the Seaside Park administration office before the fair opened.

Fair officials did not know who was selling the counterfeit tickets, but they said they were being sold for $10 or less per sheet.

The counterfeits were detected by a ticket-taker who has worked at the fair for many years.

“He thought they felt a bit peculiar and took them to his supervisor, who did some checking, and they matched several hundred other tickets,” Raley said.

The counterfeit tickets may have been made using a personal computer, he added.

Carnival patrons who try to use the counterfeit tickets are being detained for questioning, Raley said. Anyone who believes they may have unwittingly purchased fraudulent tickets should contact Cpl. Rick Cook of the Ventura Police Department at 339-4441.