Stay safe from a cruel summer: be alert to ticket fraud ahead of this summer’s top events
Festival and concert goers looking to get last minute tickets to this summer’s top events are urged to
be on their guard against fraudulent sellers, as new data reveals £6.7 million was lost to ticket fraud
last year.
Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, has launched a ticket fraud
awareness campaign, warning people to be alert to fraudsters trying to catch out people planning
for popular and sold-out events.
Last year more than 8,700 people reported they had been a victim ticket fraud, with a total of £6.7
million lost. This works out to an average loss of £772 per victim.
The warning comes ahead of the Glastonbury Festival ticket resale and before top summer events,
such as Taylor Swift’s sell out Eras tour.
Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud, said:
“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. 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 per cent of reports (2,993) mentioned concert
tickets, 29 per cent of reports (2,523) mentioned travel and 18 per cent of reports (1,561)
mentioned sporting events.
Jonathan Brown, Chief Executive of Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, said:
“Buying from a STAR member means you are buying from an authorised ticket supplier
signed up to our strict code of practice. While we hope you never have to use it, this also
gets you access to our approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service.
“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. 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.”
How to protect yourself from ticket fraud:
• Only buy tickets from the venue’s box office, the promoter, an official agent or a well-known
and reputable ticket exchange site.
• Avoid paying for tickets by bank transfer, especially if buying from someone unknown. Credit
card or payment services such as PayPal give you a better chance of recovering the money if
you become a victim of fraud.
• The password you use for your email account, as well as any other accounts you use to
purchase tickets, should be different from all your other passwords. Use three random
words to create a strong and memorable password, and enable 2-step verification (2SV).
• Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on tickets.
• Is the vendor a member of Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR)? If they are, the
company has signed up to their strict governing standards. STAR also offers an approved
Alternative Dispute Resolution service to help customers with outstanding complaints. For
more information visit star.org.uk/buy_safe.
Fraudsters often create fake ticket retail companies. Victims are lured in using social media or
phishing emails with offers of the chance to buy tickets to a popular event, but instead give away
their personal information or money, with no tickets received in return. Phishing messages often
look real, but instead will either steal your information or divert to malicious websites which can
infect your computer with malware.
If you feel at all suspicious, report the email to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS)
at report@phishing.gov.uk. For more advice on how to stay secure online, please visit
cyberaware.gov.uk.
Find out how to protect yourself from fraud: https://stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk
If you live in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime,
report it at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, victims of fraud and
cybercrime should report to Police Scotland on 101