In some cases people have lost out on up to £1,000 each
Lloyds Bank has issued a stark warning to music fans as many people have lost out on around £346 each. Data from the banking giant has found that some people have even had up to £1,000 taken from their accounts – with nothing in return for it.
Lloyds highlighted what it referred to as a “scourge of scams” that have tricked Oasis fans into parting with their hard-earned cash. Hundreds of scams have been reported since the summer by Lloyds customers alone, with Oasis fans making up around 70% of reported concert tickets fraud since August 27.
People aged between 35 and 44 were most likely to be targeted by fraudsters, Lloyds said, with this demographic making up almost a third (31%) of all reported cases. Most of the scams, it said, started with fake social media posts, most of these on Facebook.
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A Lloyds spokesperson added: “A simple search of Facebook reveals numerous unofficial groups have been set up, many boasting tens of thousands of members, dedicated to buying and selling tickets for the Oasis tour. This is despite Meta’s own commerce policy stating that the sale of concert tickets is ‘not allowed’ on the platform.”
Purchase scams happen when someone is tricked into sending money via bank transfer (also known as a Faster Payment) to buy goods or services that don’t exist, and ticket scams usually involve fake adverts, posts or listings on social media, offering tickets at discounted prices, or access to events which have already sold out at inflated prices.
People will be asked to pay upfront, but once the payment is made, the scammers vanish – taking your money with them. Fraudsters will often take advantage of fans when tickets for an event are highly sought-after. There are often two waves of the con: when tickets are first released for sale, and again as the event date approaches.
Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds, said: “Predictably fraudsters wasted no time in targeting loyal Oasis fans as they scrambled to pick up tickets for next year’s must-see reunion tour.
“The fact that so many cases start with fake listings on social media, often in violation of the platforms’ own rules, underscores the importance of these companies taking stronger action to tackle scams. Buying directly from reputable, authorised retailers is the only way to guarantee you’re paying for a genuine ticket. If you’re asked to pay via bank transfer, particularly by a seller you’ve found on social media, that should immediately set alarm bells ringing.”
