Checkaco Consumer News: Australian fans of Taylor Swift have been targeted by scammers selling fake tickets with an estimated £1million scammed as fears rise the UK is next
By Rupert Bridgwater: Checkaco is warning music fans that scammers have been taking advantage of the hunger to buy tickets for Taylor Swift’s concerts in Australia. Her Eras tour has seen hundreds of Swifties conned out of tens of thousands of pounds after failing to verify the authenticity of the seller.
Checkaco’s Operations Manager Pervice Chapel said: “Fake tickets for premium events such as top football matches, rock concerts and top West End shows have always attracted fraudsters but with the internet it has become an epidemic. Scammers create fake websites that look exactly like the real ticket sites and will advertise on social media – usually offering tickets at affordable prices.”
He said it was important to check the url and other details such as an email link – and if it is from a company then do a credit check on them with Checkaco. That will show if they really exist and if they do if they have numerous County Court Judgements against them or have been struck off at Companies House.
“Don’t be pressured if someone is on the phone to you,” he advised, “and never pay by direct bank transfer. Use a credit card as you can usually reclaim the money if the ticket is bogus.”
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) deputy chair Catriona Lowe said: ““This scam is a low act, seeking to take advantage of fans, many of whom are young and are desperately trying to secure a ticket to make their dream of seeing Taylor Swift live come true.”
Australian media have reported that fans have lost more than $135,000, a figure that is expected to rise in the weeks leading up to the series of seven sold-out Melbourne and Sydney events, according to the ACCC. The consumer watchdog down under said they had received 273 reports of people buying fake tickets for the Eras tour, which were mainly through fake FaceBook adverts and other social media platforms.
Mr Chapel said the typical modus operandi is for the scammer to ask the victim’s hacked account’s followers to send a direct message if they’d like to buy the tickets, meaning more people are sucked into the scam.
With the UK set to see Taylor swift perform several shows fears have increased that Brits will also fall for the scams and lose an estimated million pounds or more in total.
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