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The UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting service Action Fraud has launched a ticket fraud awareness campaign warning people to be alert to fraudsters trying to take advantage of those hoping to go to popular events.
People looking to secure last minute tickets to this summer’s big events are urged to be on their guard as data from the organisation has revealed that £6.7m ($8.3m/€7.8m) was lost to ticket fraud last year.
This came from 8,700 people reporting that they had fallen victim, working out to an average loss of £772 per person.
The warning comes ahead of the Glastonbury Festival ticket resale and before events such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour which is coming to Scotland, England, and Wales from June 7 to 23 and then London again from August 15 to 20.
“We all want to enjoy ticketed events this summer, but that doesn’t stop fraudsters from taking the fun out things we look forward to doing,” said head of Action Fraud Pauline Smith.
“Too many people are losing out to fraudulent activity or genuine looking phishing messages.
“Make sure you don’t get ticked off – recognise the signs of ticket fraud before getting caught out. Remember to be wary of unsolicited messages offering deals too good to be true.”
Of the reports made to Action Fraud last year, 34% of reports mentions concert tickets while 29% cited travel and 18% sporting events.
Action Fraud has made a series of recommendations to ticket buyers for the coming months. It states that tickets should only be bought from official vendors, bank transfer payments should be avoided, and that passwords used to purchase tickets should be separate to email passwords.
It is also advised to check if the vendor is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR), which imposes strict governing standards on sellers.
“There are so many great gigs and festivals happening throughout the UK this summer, but sadly there are fraudsters waiting to ride on the back of public excitement about those events by ripping-off ticket buyers,” said chief executive of STAR Jonathan Brown.
“Consumers can avoid disappointment and loss by following Action Fraud’s advice about how to buy tickets safely and taking the right steps to protect themselves.”
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