Buying TIFF tickets? Make sure you don’t get scammed

Buying tickets for TIFF? Make sure you don’t get scammed. CTV's Pat Foran reports.

There are more than 290 films to see at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and tickets for many popular movie premieres are already sold out.

If you’re still hoping to buy tickets, be careful you don’t get scammed.

• TIFF 2025 | Here’s what you need to know from last-minute tickets to star-studded premieres

Many popular movies are sold out, as TIFF members had early access to them and now many tickets are only available on the secondary market.

Tickets that are sold through secondary sellers may cost you more but will be guaranteed. You might find them cheaper through social media by buying them from film fans, but it can also be risky.

TIFF has partnered with Ticketmaster and many tickets for popular shows are now being resold for hundreds of dollars a seat.

“So, if you want to get access to a ticket, you might have to go through resale platforms like Ticketmaster and StubHub and turn to social media to find them,” said Sam Pajot-Phipps, the co-founder and CEO of goConfirm.com.

goConfirm is an anti-scam app that allows people to buy and sell tickets on social media with safeguards.

Pajot-Phipps said with so much interest in TIFF tickets, scams are already happening. Often, he said, it’s the scammers who reach out to film fans who post online that they’re looking to buy tickets.

“So, they might be posted in a subreddit or Facebook Marketplace saying, ‘They desperately want to see Frankenstein,’ or ‘I want to see Good Fortune. Does anyone have a ticket?’ That’s when the scammers will reach out to them directly," said Pajot-Phipps.

Reseller sites that offer guarantees will cost you more for tickets and added fees, while purchasing through social media sites may be cheaper but comes with added risks.

You may want to protect yourself with apps like goConfirm or other tools to prevent yourself from being scammed.

As for tickets for TIFF at this point, you may have better luck searching for tickets for smaller, lesser-known films.

You can also try “rush lines” before some screenings, as more tickets may become available if there are “no-shows” or empty seats.