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Taylor Swift fans lose £1m in scams, Lloyds Bank estimates

10 hours ago
By Ian Youngs and Steven McIntosh,
Entertainment reporter

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EPA Taylor Swift performs during the first night of The Eras Tour in Australia at
the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, 16 February 2024.EPA
The UK leg of Swift's Eras tour will begin in June
Taylor Swift fans have lost an estimated £1m in ticket scams ahead of the UK leg of
her Eras tour, according to a report by Lloyds Bank.

The bank said more than 600 of its customers had come forward to report being
scammed, losing an average of £332 each - with some losing £1,000.

It added that 90% of the reported ticket scams started on Facebook.

There has been huge demand for tickets to see the superstar when she performs in
the UK in June and August.

'It's horrible - you just feel helpless'

When Karen Elrick's Facebook account was hacked in December, scammers started
impersonating her, posting messages offering Taylor Swift tickets for sale.

Several friends fell foul of the trick, transferring about £750 each - before
discovering the ads weren't real and the tickets didn't exist.

"I know of at least three, but I think the police said there were four that have
actually bought the tickets," says the 38-year-old from Glasgow. "And I think as
soon as the money's gone through, they're then just blocked on the Facebook
account."

The police have made little progress and Facebook have not removed the account,
despite multiple requests, she says.

The scammers regularly post similar messages, leaving them up for about a day
before removing them so they are no longer there if Facebook investigates.

"It's horrible," she says. "You just feel very helpless because it's friends of
yours that are losing money. They obviously realise quite quickly it's not me
that's stealing from them, but it's just not a nice feeling.

"It's totally out of my control and there doesn't seem to be anything that anyone
can help with. Nobody seems to be able to do anything."
She adds: "If you see Taylor Swift tickets on Facebook, it's likely a scam."

Lloyds said there were significantly more ticket scam reports relating to Swift
than any other artist.

If other banks have similar figures, there are likely to have been at least 3,000
victims across the UK, it said.

2px presentational grey line

How to spot and avoid a scam
Do some research on the company you're buying from and only purchase tickets from
the venue, the promoter (such as Live Nation), an official agent (such as
Ticketmaster) or a well-known and reputable ticket exchange site
Search engines such as Google aren't always the best place to look, as unauthorised
ticket resellers can buy their way to the top of listings with ads
Look out for the STAR logo - that means the vendor is a member of Society of Ticket
Agents and Retailers and signals company has signed up to strict governing
standards
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
Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on
tickets - it's more than likely that such offers are too good to be true
2px presentational grey line
All UK dates for Swift's Eras tour are sold out, which has prompted some fans who
did not get tickets through official channels to look elsewhere.

Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Bank, said: "Cruel fraudsters have
wasted no time in targeting her most loyal fans as they rush to pick up tickets for
her must-see concerts."

She added: "It's easy to let our emotions get the better of us when we find out our
favourite artist is going to be performing live, but it's important not to let
those feelings cloud our judgement when trying to get hold of tickets.

"Buying directly from reputable, authorised 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.

"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."

Taylor Swift superfans caught in £250 ticket scam

'Off-the-scale' demand fuelling gig ticket scams
Club backs 'Taylor Swift tax' to help small venues
Lloyds said it was also aware of a larger number of scam cases involving major
concerts, with the number rising by 158% in 2023 compared with the previous year.

Other major artists commonly targeted last summer included Coldplay, Harry Styles,
and Beyonce. Across all concert ticket scams, victims were losing £133 on average.

The bank said purchase scams happen when someone is tricked into sending money via
bank transfer to buy goods or services that don't exist.

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.

Victims are asked to pay upfront for the tickets, but once the payment is made, the
scammers disappear. This leaves the both buyer without the tickets and out of
pocket.

'Off-the-scale' demand fuelling gig ticket scams

Taylor Swift superfans caught in £250 ticket scam
Club backs 'Taylor Swift tax' to help small venues
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