Thousands of Taylor Swift fans have been scammed out of more than £1million by fraudsters claiming to offer tickets to her UK concerts, bank chiefs estimate.
More than 600 Lloyds Bank customers have come forward so far to report being scammed in the run-up to the pop star’s Eras Tour, which hits the UK in June.
According to Mirror UK, the average amount lost by each victim was £332, though in some cases the loss was as much as over £1,000.
Lloyds estimates that across the UK there are likely to have been at least 3,000 victims since tickets went on sale last July, with over £1m lost to fraudsters so far.
The bank found more than 90% of reported cases started with fake adverts or posts on Facebook. Dozens of unofficial groups, many with tens of thousands of members, have been set up specifically for people looking to buy and sell tickets for Taylor’s concerts.
Scammers ask for payment up-front but disappear when the money is sent. There are often two waves of fraud – the first when tickets go on sale and the second around the time an event takes place.
Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Bank, said: “For her legion of dedicated Swifties, the excitement is building ahead of Taylor’s Eras Tour finally touching down in the UK this summer. However, cruel fraudsters have wasted no time in targeting her most loyal fans as they rush to pick up tickets for her must-see concerts.
“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.” The Eras Tour has helped turn Shake it Off singer Taylor, 34, into a global phenomenon. It is the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Meta, the company which owns Facebook, said: “We are continually investing in protections against fraud on our platforms, and work with law enforcement to tackle this issue. We advise users of Facebook Marketplace to never pay for something until they see it in person and to report any scams immediately.” Taylor’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, is out on Friday.
