.-') _ .-') _
( OO ) ) ( OO ) )
.-----. ,--./ ,--,' ,--./ ,--,'
' .--./ | \ | |\ | \ | |\
| |('-. | \| | )| \| | )
/_) |OO )| . |/ | . |/
|| |`-'| | |\ | | |\ |
(_' '--'\ | | \ | | | \ |
`-----' `--' `--' `--' `--'
lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Taylor Swift fans lose at least $1 million to Eras Tour scams in the UK
By Hanna Ziady, CNN
Updated:
1:43 PM EDT, Thu April 18, 2024
Source: CNN
Thousands of UK fans have been duped into buying fake tickets for her
upcoming concerts, according to a major British bank.
More than 600 customers have reported being scammed so far, losing on
average £332 ($414) each, and in some cases more than £1,000
($1,247), Lloyds Bank in a statement Wednesday.
“As these figures are based solely on Lloyds Bank’s own customer
data, it estimates that across the UK there are likely to have been at
least 3,000 victims since tickets went on sale, with over £1 million
being lost to fraudsters so far,” the lender added.
The impact of Swift’s global Eras Tour has been felt far and wide —
embroiling Singapore in a ; leaving Ticketmaster facing a from angry
fans; and proving a major boon for the , local governments and even .
The tour — the of all time — kicked off in the United States in
March 2023 and will wrap up in December this year. Swift performs the
first of 15 concerts in the United Kingdom in June.
With all UK dates now sold out, desperate fans are more likely to turn
to resale sites and social media for tickets.
Lloyds said it expects to see “many more fans fall victim to ticket
scams in the coming weeks and months,” leading up to the first
concert in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“If you’re being asked to pay by bank transfer, particularly from a
seller you’ve found on social media, that should immediately set
alarm bells ringing,” said Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at
Lloyds.
“Buying directly from reputable, authorized platforms is the only way
to guarantee you’re paying for a genuine ticket. Even then, always
pay by debit or credit card for the greatest protection,” she added.
According to UK Finance, a financial services industry association,
Brits lost more than £40 million ($50 million) to “purchase
scams,” including sales of fraudulent tickets, in the first half of
last year.
HSBC, Europe’s biggest bank, directed CNN to a “Ticket fraud”
warning on its website dated April 2024, which said customers should
avoid “buying gig, festival or sports tickets from anyone apart from
official vendors, the box office or reputable fan seller sites.”
“Criminals typically pose as a seller and post on social media or an
online marketplace. They’ll tell you they’ll post or email the
tickets once you’ve transferred the money to their bank account. But
when you try to contact them after nothing’s arrived, they’ve
disappeared off the face of the earth,” the warning added.
HSBC said this happens to “thousands” of people every year. In
November, the bank over ticket scams relating to Glastonbury, the
popular outdoor music festival held annually in England in the summer.
Kirsty Adams, a product manager at Barclays UK, said: “2024 is a huge
year for entertainment — with Taylor Swift and Glastonbury kicking
off the summer in June, closely followed by the Euros, the Olympics and
the Paralympics.
“Whilst most fans will have already secured their tickets, it’s
likely we’ll see a surge of resales nearer the time, with scammers
targeting fans who may have missed out and failed to secure a ticket in
the ballot or draw process.”
DIR <- back to index