Tonight, 9 April 2018, I got an offer to buy tickets to see a comedian. Who doesn't matter because that is not the issue.
The performance is not going to happen until June 2019. That's right, over a year away.
This promoter is going to get the money up front and have use of it for a year. While there are undoubtedly costs involved in (booking the venue, securing the performer etc) I think this pre-sale bollocks is a scam.