TICKET
FRAUD
With summer on the way, events and concerts are fully on the agenda. Whether it be sporting events such as the 2024 Olympics, the European Championships or headline concerts such as the eagerly anticipated Taylor Swift Eras Tour, demand for event tickets remains sky high. This demand, alongside limited availability creates prime opportunities for fraudsters to fully exploit eager consumers looking to secure tickets which often appear impossible to find. Ticket fraud is where criminals set up fake websites or social media profiles to sell tickets for major events that are either fraudulent or don’t exist. Victims are then left desperately disappointed that they are unable to enjoy themselves at their chosen event, whilst also being out of pocket too. Here we look into how ticket scams occur and provide tips on how you can avoid them in the future.
76,946
cases of purchase scams in first half of 2023 (includes concert tickets, holidays rentals, sporting event tickets) **
In 2023, concert ticket scams soared 529% while football ticket scams rose by 101%*
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The average loss for concert ticket scams was £110 and £159 for football ticket scams.*
£40.9m lost in first half of 2023 due to purchase scams**
Social Media Social Media provides scammers an ideal channel to target victims. In this scam, victims find someone selling tickets for an event (often sold out) on a social media platform such as Facebook Marketplace through a personal account or fan page/ group. The scammer will advertise tickets which are fraudulent and be in touch with victims (sometimes multiple) to arrange a transaction. Once money is transferred, outcomes often include: • A promise that tickets will be sent to you when your details have been provided, however they never arrive • Someone will meet you at the event on the day to hand them over, but no-one turns up • You receive the tickets; however these turn out to be fake
Common signs of social media ticket scams to look out for and how to avoid them include:
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is Eager to get a ticket for an event? Then a cheap deal may be so attractive you may not want to look elsewhere. From heavily discounted tickets to supposedly unmissable offers, if they sound too good to be true, they probably are. However, if you are willing to pay an extortionate price for a ticket, do not assume they are real, these can also be fake! The seller’s profile information doesn’t add up If you happen to be in touch with someone offering you tickets, check their social profile or page thoroughly. While some
fraudsters will design their profile to come across as trustworthy, some signs could affect their credibility. Things to look out for are: • Lack of photos of themselves on the profile/page • Very few or no followers on their profile/page • They only have spam-like messages on their feed, or what they write doesn’t seem genuine The seller is pushy and relentlessly asks for payment (by bank transfer) Scammers will commonly ask you to make a payment directly to their bank account so that it becomes hard to trace. They will happily push you into a guilt trip or increase the price to get you to make that payment. Legitimate organisations and ticketing agents would not pressure you into buying a ticket, nor would they allow a bank transfer as a payment method. Where possible, pay by credit card for increased protection. The seller is offering tickets that are not yet on sale If the tickets aren’t officially on sale, this means the fraudster doesn’t own those tickets yet. Before agreeing to anything, check the official event website and make sure the tickets have gone on sale. If they are available, it is much safer to buy directly through the venue’s website or their authorised ticket agents.
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