Taylor Swift fans targeted by surge in concert ticket scams as bank shares tips to keep cash safe
17.04.2024 - 04:05
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Lloyds Bank has warned that more than £1 million could already have been lost by music fans in the UK to fraudsters pretending to offer Taylor Swift concert tickets. Over 600 customers with the Lloyds Banking Group have already come forward to report being scammed.
The figures were based on analysis of relevant purchase scams reported by customers of Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, where Swift and/or the Eras Tour were referenced as part of the claim, between July 2023 and March 2024. The average amount lost by each victim was £332, though in some cases the loss was more than £1,000, Lloyds said.
As the figures are based solely on Lloyds Bank’s own customer data, it estimates that across the UK there are likely to have been at least 3,000 victims since Taylor Swift tickets went on sale, with over £1 million being lost to fraudsters so far.
The calculation is based on Lloyd Banking Group’s current account market share and assumes similar trends across customers of other UK banks. Fans aged 25 to 34 who are trying to get their hands on sold-out tickets are most likely to be targeted, with many scams originating on social media, Lloyds warned.
Looking more broadly at concert ticket scams, fans of major artists such as Coldplay, Beyonce and Harry Styles were among those targeted last summer, Lloyds said. Across all concert ticket scams, victims were losing £133 on average.
Purchase scams can happen when someone is tricked into sending money via bank transfer to buy goods or services that are fake, shoddy, or do not exist.
Ticket scams often involve fake adverts, posts or listings on social media, often offering tickets or access to events which have already sold out. Victims are asked to pay up-front for the