According to the Art Newspaper, a fraudulent website claiming affiliation with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was discovered to be unlawfully collecting credit card details from individuals attempting to purchase tickets for the museum.
The website, vangoghshop.pro, purported to offer tickets for the museum on dates that were not available through the official museum website, deceiving approximately 50 people.
In response, the Van Gogh Museum issued a warning on its official website, cautioning visitors against falling victim to scams and advising them to purchase tickets exclusively from tickets.vangoghmuseum.com. The museum reiterated that its official website is the sole authorized platform for ticket purchases. Subsequently, the fraudulent website was shut down.
The lure of the Van Gogh Museum’s current temporary exhibition, “Matthew Wong | Vincent van Gogh: Painting as a Last Resort,” likely attracted some visitors to the deceitful site. The exhibition, featuring Wong’s work in Europe for the first time, is scheduled to run until September 1.
According to reports from the news outlet Parool, at least one tourist who utilized vangoghshop.pro received tickets dated April 28, 2017, highlighting the fraudulent nature of the operation.
In response to the incident, the museum assured the public that they are actively addressing the situation, stating, “More than half of these individuals indicated that they didn’t trust the website, and they [didn’t leave] any information. Those who have actually been affected have contacted us, and we advised them to contact their bank immediately and file a report… We have made every effort to warn visitors.”
