Taylor Swift Fans In UK Lost $1 Million to Ticket Scam; How to Spot the Reg Flags

Many of Taylor Swift's ardent UK fans were duped into buying phony tickets for her major Eras Tour shows. More than 600 customers of Lloyds Bank have already reported to the British bank. On average, they lost roughly £332, or $414, but others lost much more—more than £1,000, or $1,247. "As we're only examining our own clients, we estimate that roughly 3,000 people in the UK were duped into purchasing bogus tickets," according to Lloyds Bank. They have also lost more than £1 million in total (approx. $1.2 million) to the con artists.

Controversies surrounding Taylor Swift's tour

In many regions, Taylor Swift's massive tour has generated a great deal of controversy. It even led to issues with Singapore and a few other nations. A few fans are suing Ticketmaster because they are so furious with them. But it's not all terrible news. The tour has benefited food banks, local governments, and tourist agencies. It's the most successful tour to date. It will end in December this year, having begun in the United States in March 2023. June will see Taylor Swift's first UK performance. Fans who truly want to attend her concerts in the UK may try searching on other websites or social media for tickets as they are now all sold out.

Heightened risk of ticket scams ahead of Edinburgh performance

According to Lloyds Bank, more fans might be duped in the next weeks and months, particularly in the run-up to the inaugural performance in Edinburgh, Scotland. Liz Ziegler, who's in charge of stopping fraud at Lloyds, warned, "If someone asks you to pay by bank transfer, especially if you found them on social media, you should be really careful. It's a big sign that something might be wrong." She added, "The safest way to buy tickets is directly from trusted websites. And when you do buy, always use your debit or credit card for the best protection."

A body representing the financial services sector, UK Finance, reports that in the first half of last year, fraudulent schemes involving purchases, such as the selling of fictitious tickets, cost British citizens over £40 million, or over $50 million.

HSBC warns about ticket fraud

The largest bank in Europe, HSBC, has cautioned regarding ticket fraud on its website. It advised consumers to limit their ticket purchases to official vendors, the box office, or reliable fan seller websites when it comes to concerts, festivals, or sporting events. The alert described the ways in which con artists pose as sellers on social media platforms or online auction sites. Once you've sent them money, they guarantee to send you the tickets. But when you try to get in touch with them after realizing you haven't heard from them, they disappear.

HSBC claims that "thousands" of people experience this each year. The bank alerted its clients in November last year about frauds involving tickets for Glastonbury, the well-known outdoor music festival that takes place in England each summer.

"A lot of major events are happening in 2024, like Taylor Swift's concerts and Glastonbury in June, followed by the Euros, the Olympics, and the Paralympics," said Kirsty Adams, a Barclays UK employee. "We might see more people trying to sell tickets closer to the events, even though the majority of fans have probably already received their tickets," she continued. Fans who missed out and were unable to obtain tickets through the regular route will be targeted by scammers."