Thousands of people have been tricked into buying fake Premier League tickets as
fans have been warned to stay vigilant against online scammers.
An estimate by Lloyds Bank found that football ticketing fraud was up a third when
compared with last season, meaning thousands of young people across the UK have fallen
foul of fraudulent sellers.
The bank analysed its customer fraud figures and found that around 6,000 people fell victim
to the scam, losing £177 on average. However, some people were conned out of almost
£1,000.
Fans of the largest teams were targeted most, with supporters of Arsenal and Liverpool
buying the most fake tickets.
Criminals created the sale posts on Facebook Marketplace or X, using pictures of real
tickets to trick unsuspecting buyers.
After the victim makes an online transfer, the fraudster deletes their profile and no tickets
are sent.
Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Bank, said: “Missing out on the big match
after falling victim to a ticket scam can be devastating.”
She added that football fans should use official ticket websites and watch out for deals that
appear too good to be true.
Premier League advises that fans should only buy tickets from clubs or any other authorised
ticket platforms.
Social media platforms have been criticised for not doing enough to protect users against
these “purchase scams”, as a spokesman for the banking industry body warned that
customers lost almost £86 million last year to online scams.
“Tech and social media companies need to step up and tackle the criminality taking place
on their platforms and contribute to the cost of reimbursing victims,” the spokesman said.
If you have been scammed and need help to recover your money fill out our Fraud Reclaim Form or call us for advice on 0333 9998791.