Sneaking in - Full Video

[philipsteak]

3 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

Yeah, that was exactly my thoughts on it.

 

Probably not too tricky to make sure he was checking tickets (depending on supervisors and how persuasive he could be). But the shifts would be the problem. I suppose they could wait until he got his shifts on the midday and tell people to go to a certain gate at a certain time.

To really work it's need someone in Oxfam management involved to make sure he was on the correct gate/shifts.

Who is 'H'?

 

And you'd also need to coordinate with the second person to make sure their shifts were the same

[Johnnyseven]

22 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

When the Oxfam volunteers are turning up to a gate, a proper pedestrian gate A-D, there's no way of knowing which job you'll be allocated ahead of time. So this idea of 'heading to the bloke with the yellow hat' is slightly unbelievable because that bloke with the yellow hat who's been paid off and isnt checking tickets properly, could be given a little box and told to take numbers of people leaving the festival site. Or he might be by the front of the gate sifting re-entry from first timers. Or he might be on the ticket checking bit and then get rotated out after an hour or two. There's loads of roles for the volunteers to undertake and only a finite amount of them are going to be 'useful'. Plus the yellow hat man wouldnt have known which gate and shifts he'd be working at until the monday before the festival, so then had to be identified and bribed? 

Its so open to the vagaries of the changing demands of that volunteering role, i dunno, it doesnt have the ring of truth to me. 

 

When I read the explanation of the scam I assumed they would be using the first entry entrance so would be dealing with Festaff not Oxfam. Festaff only do wristbanding as far as I know.

[philipsteak]

Just now, Johnnyseven said:

 

When I read the explanation of the scam I assumed they would be using the first entry entrance so would be dealing with Festaff not Oxfam. Festaff only do wristbanding as far as I know.

 

Oxfam check the tickets before they get to Festaff (unless things have changed massively since last time I worked a ped gate)

[Johnnyseven]

18 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

 

I got caught in that same queue nightmare that you did at Gate A on the Weds morning.

 

There was a couple in front of me for the entire duration (5 hours!)....not long before we got to the front of the queue the girl started shaking quite badly...I initially thought she was having some sort of fit or funny turn because of the heat,  but she then said to her boyfriend 'I'm really scared i don't know if I can do this'

 

Not long after he pulled out two wristbands from his pocket and they then put them on....he then had what looked like to be two tickets in his hand but all I saw was the envelope so not exactly sure if they were or if it was cash to hand to someone on the gate.

 

When we got to the security check he bolted for the one with the quietest queue and then got into the queue for the wristband exchange and at that point we went separate ways and I didn't see them again after that.

 

I actually couldn't really work out what was truly going on or what their scam (if there was one) was.....

 

If they had wristbands to get them in, why would they go to the wristband exchange?

Edited July 9 by Johnnyseven

[Radiopaste]

7 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

And you'd also need to coordinate with the second person to make sure their shifts were the same

 

My understanding is that the person in question turned up on shift when they weren't scheduled to work and just took up position on ticket checking. 

[incident]

Just now, Johnnyseven said:

When I read the explanation of the scam I assumed they would be using the first entry entrance so would be dealing with Festaff not Oxfam. Festaff only do wristbanding as far as I know.

 

You deal with both Oxfam and Festaff on first entry.

 

Oxfam perform the primary ticket check - photo and authenticity.

 

Then Festaff issue the wristband, in theory doing a secondary ticket check in the process.

[bob323]

2 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

 

If they had wristbands to get in, why would they go to the wristband exchange?

they'd take their wristband off and get another band , so that they can get more people in (or sell them?) on the double banded way

Edited July 9 by bob323

[gooner1990]

1 minute ago, Johnnyseven said:

 

If they had wristbands to get in, why would they go to the wristband exchange?

 

Well quite...I couldn't work out what they were doing (!).....unless they went to the re-entry bit when I lost them at the security check....?

[philipsteak]

1 minute ago, Radiopaste said:

 

My understanding is that the person in question turned up on shift when they weren't scheduled to work and just took up position on ticket checking. 

 

That could work, certainly in gate a when it's busy

[incident]

1 minute ago, Radiopaste said:

My understanding is that the person in question turned up on shift when they weren't scheduled to work and just took up position on ticket checking. 

 

I guess that theoretically that could go unnoticed. For an hour or so, in the heart of the Wednesday AM rush. But it'd get noticed sooner or later and raise all kinds of questions..

[balti-pie]

Just now, Radiopaste said:

 

My understanding is that the person in question turned up on shift when they weren't scheduled to work and just took up position on ticket checking. 

There was something of an incident this year where a fella turned up in the oxfield with a 2022 lanyard and bib, and just sort of hung around a bit - he soon came to the attention of security and got removed, but its quite possible in the maelstrom of busy gates that someone could sidle up and not get noticed by other volunteers and the supervisors there, theres about forty oxfam volunteers at each Ped gate. Lots of moving parts. 

[Radiopaste]

Just now, balti-pie said:

There was something of an incident this year where a fella turned up in the oxfield with a 2022 lanyard and bib, and just sort of hung around a bit - he soon came to the attention of security and got removed, but its quite possible in the maelstrom of busy gates that someone could sidle up and not get noticed by other volunteers and the supervisors there, theres about forty oxfam volunteers at each Ped gate. Lots of moving parts. 

Possibly coincidentally, but maybe not, from Thursday onwards I was signed onto shift once in position - which seems like a very sensible way of ensuring any of the above can happen. 

[DeanoL]

12 hours ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

 

That's been mentioned on here before. Something along the lines of Michael actually liking the rebellious spirit of it

I mean, Michael would also prefer the festival have no drugs or alcohol though...

 

2 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

The odd one, sure, but are they really OK with up to (say) 30,000 extra people being onsite - in what's a clear breach of the license.

 

 

Not a license breach if it can't be proven, and I suspect it can't be. The festival might be of the belief that the license is a bit too restrictive and an extra 20K people would be fine and safe. They can't just ignore the license and sell an extra 20K tickets, but if 20K people get in unofficially... can it really be proven that there's 200K people on site instead of 180K?

 

[DeanoL]

31 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

When the Oxfam volunteers are turning up to a gate, a proper pedestrian gate A-D, there's no way of knowing which job you'll be allocated ahead of time. So this idea of 'heading to the bloke with the yellow hat' is slightly unbelievable because that bloke with the yellow hat who's been paid off and isnt checking tickets properly, could be given a little box and told to take numbers of people leaving the festival site. Or he might be by the front of the gate sifting re-entry from first timers. Or he might be on the ticket checking bit and then get rotated out after an hour or two. There's loads of roles for the volunteers to undertake and only a finite amount of them are going to be 'useful'. Plus the yellow hat man wouldnt have known which gate and shifts he'd be working at until the monday before the festival, so then had to be identified and bribed? 

Its so open to the vagaries of the changing demands of that volunteering role, i dunno, it doesnt have the ring of truth to me. 

Can people swap shifts if they can find someone to swap with?

[philipsteak]

5 minutes ago, Radiopaste said:

Possibly coincidentally, but maybe not, from Thursday onwards I was signed onto shift once in position - which seems like a very sensible way of ensuring any of the above can happen. 

 

Apart from the Wednesday morning shift that's the way it would normally happen so you can let the shift you're replacing go. On the Wednesday morning you wouldn't be replacing anyone and you have time to sign in before the gates open.

Edited July 9 by philipsteak

[philipsteak]

2 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

Can people swap shifts if they can find someone to swap with?

You can buy it has to be all 3 shifts. 

[balti-pie]

Just now, DeanoL said:

Can people swap shifts if they can find someone to swap with?

Yep, but you have to swap the whole pattern of shifts- you cant just swap one shift out.

So if you've been paid off by the nefarious yellow hatted mob and you want shift pattern A, and you've been allocated C, you would probably be able to find someone to swap your C for their A.

But you'd then have their shifts, wherever they happen to be. Relying on finding someone on gate A, with the desired pattern of shifts, and then getting them to swap - all while ensuring theyre not suspicious of you, and then mentioning you to Oxfam management (which i would be, i'd grass up anyone i thought was taking bribes, bollocks to them) is a lot of things to put in place. 

[stuie]

14 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

 

When I read the explanation of the scam I assumed they would be using the first entry entrance so would be dealing with Festaff not Oxfam. Festaff only do wristbanding as far as I know.

 

As with most roles, it's dual agency.   That makes it harder to get someone on the inside, as you'd need someone from Oxfam and someone from Festaff. 

On first entry, Oxfam check the ticket, security features, photo likeness and pass you on to Festaff who will attach the wristband. 

 

On most vehicle gates, Oxfam work alongside a security company - wristbands are checked by both agencies staff, so neither can just let people in who are in the vehicle with no wristbands on!

 

 

[Madyaker]

If I was bunking in I’d try and do it the weekend before gates open when all the vendor's and traders are getting in and set up. No idea if it would be easier or not. 

[balti-pie]

Just now, Madyaker said:

If I was bunking in I’d try and do it the weekend before gates open when all the vendor's and traders are getting in and set up. No idea if it would be easier or not. 

Where would you camp? 

[incident]

1 minute ago, Madyaker said:

If I was bunking in I’d try and do it the weekend before gates open when all the vendor's and traders are getting in and set up. No idea if it would be easier or not. 

 

My personal view is that it'd be much easier to get in.

 

But also that it'd be much more difficult to stay "off radar" - anyone camping in public areas would attract attention, as would anyone camped in a staff campsite. Not really sure what the solution to that would be.

[Alvoram]

46 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

When the Oxfam volunteers are turning up to a gate, a proper pedestrian gate A-D, there's no way of knowing which job you'll be allocated ahead of time. So this idea of 'heading to the bloke with the yellow hat' is slightly unbelievable because that bloke with the yellow hat who's been paid off and isnt checking tickets properly, could be given a little box and told to take numbers of people leaving the festival site. Or he might be by the front of the gate sifting re-entry from first timers. Or he might be on the ticket checking bit and then get rotated out after an hour or two. There's loads of roles for the volunteers to undertake and only a finite amount of them are going to be 'useful'. Plus the yellow hat man wouldnt have known which gate and shifts he'd be working at until the monday before the festival, so then had to be identified and bribed? 

Its so open to the vagaries of the changing demands of that volunteering role, i dunno, it doesnt have the ring of truth to me. 

But there's multiple people reporting the same thing, including staff / volunteers not involved with it, who had to deal with the fallout. 

Maybe they communicated the times they were in a good position, as and when they were, and that's why the groups being bought in would have to gather and wait around for that time? Because, by all accounts, you'd meet the person organising it, then wait around a long time and be sent through in batches. Perhaps these waits were for those involved on the gate to get assigned and report a suitable position. 

Also, who's to say those caught were the only ones involved, maybe they hedged their bets by having more people than required on the payroll. 

[philipsteak]

2 minutes ago, Alvoram said:

But there's multiple people reporting the same thing, including staff / volunteers not involved with it, who had to deal with the fallout. 

Maybe they communicated the times they were in a good position, as and when they were, and that's why the groups being bought in would have to gather and wait around for that time? Because, by all accounts, you'd meet the person organising it, then wait around a long time and be sent through in batches. Perhaps these waits were for those involved on the gate to get assigned and report a suitable position. 

Also, who's to say those caught were the only ones involved, maybe they hedged their bets by having more people than required on the payroll. 

 

All possible/probable but that's a lot of moving parts. And that's before you include the weakest link of all, the punters.

 

It's no wonder it fell apart.

[Alvoram]

3 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

All possible/probable but that's a lot of moving parts. And that's before you include the weakest link of all, the punters.

 

It's no wonder it fell apart.

It seems like it was a dumb punter that eventually gave the game away, trying to blag themselves a wristband when given strict instructions not to, apparently. 🙄

 

 

[Johnnyseven]

39 minutes ago, bob323 said:

they'd take their wristband off and get another band , so that they can get more people in (or sell them?) on the double banded way

 

The OP said they were putting a wristband on before going through the gate.