Ticket scams at concerts have drastically increased by more than 500% in the past year. Fans are being targeted by criminals who sell fake tickets for popular artists like Harry Styles and Lewis Capaldi, causing victims to lose an average of £110.
Even though the live music scene in the UK has been recovering from the pandemic, attendees are being cautioned to be wary of ticket scams, especially as the festival season is gearing up to start.
2022 witnessed a significant rise in the sale of live entertainment tickets in the UK compared to 2019, marking a 43% increase, as indicated by data from O2’s Priority platform. Despite this positive trend, ticket fraud has been on the rise with fraudsters tricking music enthusiasts into purchasing non-existent tickets through bank transfers.
Lloyds Bank research highlighted a staggering 529% surge in reported scams between March 2022 and February 2023. Fans of popular artists like Harry Styles, Lewis Capaldi, Coldplay, and Calvin Harris are prime targets for these fraudulent activities.
Cases of scam attempts for music festivals more than doubled, showing a 128% increase from the previous year. Festivals like Reading and Leeds, Wireless in Finsbury Park, London, and Parklife in Manchester were the most commonly targeted events.
Scammers are strategic in focusing on major events where ticket demand exceeds availability, including comedy and theatre shows. While there’s a smaller volume of scams in these areas, the risks remain significant, according to Lloyds.
Liz Ziegler, the fraud prevention director at Lloyds Banking Group, emphasized that scammers adapt their tactics to deceive victims, especially as the desire to attend live events grows closer with the arrival of warmer weather. We found one such example of a ticketing scam where users were offered a chance to win free tickets to concerts. Music fans are urged to purchase tickets only from reputable vendors and to exercise caution when buying from third parties.
To avoid falling victim to a scam, consumers are advised to stay away from deals that seem too good to be true, such as extremely low prices or tickets for sold-out events. It is crucial to be extra careful when purchasing tickets promoted on social media platforms.
Experts recommend using a debit or credit card instead of bank transfers when buying tickets as it provides added protection in case of any issues. Top events in 2022, such as Peter Kay’s comedy tour and concerts by The Weeknd, Sam Fender, Harry Styles, and Bruce Springsteen, have been popular targets for scammers.