Live music lovers need to be more vigilant. In the United Kingdom, the number of complaints of fraud in concert and festival tickets has experienced a jump of 529% in one year, according to data from the British banking group Lloyds Bank relayed by sky news.
This dramatic increase refers to the period from March 2022 to February 2023. The victims lost an average of 110 pounds (about 123 euros).
The concerts to which he goes are essentially the most popular: the British media place Harry Styles’ shows at the top, followed by those of Lewis Capaldi, Coldplay and Calvin Harris.
On the festival side, the number of reported scams increased by 128% and the Reading Festival was the most affected. It took place last August, with a lineup that included Megan Thee Stallion, Arctic Monkeys, The 1975 and Halsey.
HE guardian it specifies that the sale of tickets for stand-up shows or for the theater has not been spared, although the number of reported scams is lower.
well honed techniques
These scams consist of selling places that do not exist, or offering tickets for shows that are already sold out. Victims are tricked by fake websites, fake emails, and fake social media accounts.
Liz Zieglaer, director of Lloyds Bank’s fraud prevention department, warns of the arrival of summer festivals, which may be accompanied by new scams. It establishes some reflexes to adopt to protect yourself against it: in particular, favor payments by credit card or PayPal instead of transfer, but not only.
“Buying directly from legal and reputable platforms is the only way to ensure that what you’re buying is a real place. Even then, only pay with a credit or debit card for the best protection.”
“If you’re asked to pay via bank transfer (rather than card, editor’s note), especially when you’ve found the seller on social media, this should immediately ring alarm bells.”
This explosion in the number of fake ticket scams seems to be the result of more encouraging news: the return of the public to concert halls. Ticket sales are up 43% from 2019, the last year before Covid-19 hit 2020.
Source: BFM TV
