Ticket scams have increased by more than 500 per cent in the past year, as buying tickets to concerts for major artists like Harry Styles and Lewis Capaldi were typically targeted by scammers often selling tickets to sold-out events at cheap prices.
According to research by Lloyds, reported cases of people being scammed when buying tickets soared by 529 per cent, between March 2022 and February 2023, as reported by the Guardian.
Ross Martin, head of Digital Safety at Barclays, says: “As these tickets are going to be in such high demand, it gives criminals the perfect opportunity to take advantage and try to scam unsuspecting festival-goers out of money.
“Scams of this nature — known as purchase scams — where people are tricked into buying something they never receive, is one of the most common types of scam and can easily trick anyone of any age.”
With festival season on the horizon, it’s more important than ever to be aware of ticketing scams — and how to avoid being caught out by them.
How to avoid ticket scams and buy resale tickets safely
So how can you avoid being scammed?
Mr Martin says: “The best advice is, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers taking advantage of popular ticketed events, offer tickets for significantly lower than their value to lure you in; stop and question why any legitimate seller would do this.
“Beware of resellers offering tickets. Always ensure you’re looking for tickets on a legitimate ticket platform and, if in doubt, check the official reseller website and be wary of anyone asking for a bank transfer rather than a debit or credit card transaction, as legitimate resellers don’t usually do this.”
Legitimate ticket sites often have a resale feature. For example, Ticketmaster allows fans to sell and buy tickets on the platform, while the ticket app Dice allows fans to join a waitlist for sold-out gigs. TicketSwap is a resale site which caps resale prices at 20 per cent above face value, which deters scammers.
Be wary of people offering to sell tickets to concerts and festivals on social media. Scammers often reply to social posts from people looking for tickets.
Remember that, if they make you an offer that’s too good to be true, it probably is.
