Latest news with #concertscams
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Don't roll with it: the ticket scams targeting Oasis fans and other gig-goers
Your favourite band is playing, and you're desperate to go, but don't have a ticket. Unfortunately, scammers are trying to cash in on this summer's must-see gigs, claiming they can get you into sold-out events. So be on your guard. The Oasis gigs, that kicked off on Friday, are among the big-ticket events being used by fraudsters to trick unsuspecting music fans. Earlier this year, Lloyds Bank said that more than 1,000 customers had fallen victim to scams that offered access to the eagerly anticipated concerts. Fans lost an average of £436 each, with the biggest loss more than £1,700. According to the UK government, in 2024 more than £1.6m was lost to gig ticket fraud, and 3,700 reports were made to Action Fraud. Almost half of the Action Fraud cases related to offers made on social media, and there have been many stories from people who have lost money after responding to posts on Facebook. Some have reported that their Facebook pages have been hijacked and then used by criminals to trick their family and friends into thinking ticket sales were genuine. Scammers are bold enough to answer questions before running off with your cash. A reader told us he had been convinced that tickets were genuine before transferring £150 to pay for them – as soon as he had, the fraudster disappeared. Posts on platforms, such as Facebook, claim that people have spare tickets to sell, and say that they can show you proof before you pay. Scroll through posts on fan pages, or on X, and there are hundreds of people claiming to be selling. Some will be genuine, but there is no way of telling from just looking at them. You will be asked for a payment – probably by a bank transfer – in exchange for the tickets. If a friend or family has posted that they are selling the tickets you want, contact them directly rather than dealing with them through social media. Find the website of the venue or band – it will provide links to take you to the legitimate sites to use for ticket sales and resales. Use a credit or debit card to pay online – these give you extra protections if the tickets do not turn up. If you get an email saying tickets are available, check the address – Ticketmaster emails, for example, should come from noreply@ Rather than clicking on links sent in emails, go directly to the ticket seller's page. Make sure any company you buy through is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (Star). It has a redress scheme if things go wrong. Ticketmaster also warns to beware of printed tickets, as scammers can distribute the same ticket multiple times.
Malay Mail
25-06-2025
- Malay Mail
Blackpink fans lose SS$26,000 to ticket scams ahead of Singapore concerts
SINGAPORE, June 25 — Excitement is building for Blackpink's Deadline world tour stop in Singapore, but not all fans are celebrating. In just two weeks, at least S$26,000 (RM86,000) has been lost to scams involving bogus resale tickets to the K-pop girl group's upcoming shows on November 29 and 30 at the National Stadium. According to a June 24 statement by the Singapore Police Force, there have been at least 18 reported cases where victims were tricked into paying for fake tickets advertised on platforms such as Telegram, Carousell, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook Messenger, and Xiaohongshu. Scammers often sweet-talked their victims with screenshots or videos of what appeared to be legitimate tickets or payment receipts. They also claimed that tickets were in limited supply and had to be snapped up quickly — a tactic meant to pressure fans into making hasty payments. Worse, when the tickets never arrived, some scammers doubled down, asking for more money on the pretext that earlier payments hadn't gone through. Victims only realised they had been duped when the sellers disappeared. This isn't the first time Blackpink's popularity has been exploited by scammers. During the Born Pink tour in 2023, police received at least 128 reports of similar scams, with total losses reaching over S$206,000. Many of those affected were young Singaporean females aged 10 to 29. The police have reminded fans that tickets for the Deadline concerts are non-transferable and non-resellable. Anyone caught with a resale ticket risks being denied entry to the concert without a refund. To combat the scams, the police are working with platforms like Carousell, Facebook Marketplace and TikTok to remove suspicious ticket listings. They also urge the public to download the ScamShield app and to only buy tickets through Ticketmaster, the tour's official ticketing partner.
South China Morning Post
04-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Tally of Hong Kong concert ticket scams rises by 40% amid JJ Lin, Jay Chou shows
The number of reported concert ticket scams in Hong Kong has surged by 40 per cent week on week, according to police, with more than 70 cases from the second half of May related to Mandopop stars JJ Lin and Jay Chou's performances at Kai Tak Stadium. Police said on Wednesday that they received 114 reports of concert ticket scams for the week starting on May 24, compared with the 80 recorded for the week before. The amount of money involved in the cases over the two-week period was more than HK$1.6 million (US$203,900), the force added. In a post on the CyberDefender's social media page, the force said 37 people came forward over the past two weeks after falling victim to scams offering bogus tickets to Singaporean singer JJ Lin's concerts at the stadium on May 24 and 25. Another 23 people approached the force after attempting to buy tickets to Taiwanese performer Jay Chou's shows at the same venue, which will take place from June 27 to 29. Police have said scammers are taking advantage of the high demand and limited supply of tickets for popular concerts. Photo: Elson Li Seventeen people also reported falling victim to bogus ticket sellers for local singer and actor Raymond Lam Fung's concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum from May 22 to 28.
