It’s a classic scam but one that reaches enormous amounts given Taylor Swift’s notoriety. British fans of the American star have lost more than a million euros in counterfeit banknote scams on social networks, Lloyds bank estimated this Wednesday.
Hundreds of fans of the singer were the targets of a “wave of scams” and sent money by bank transfer without ever receiving a ticket in return, each losing on average 332 pounds, or 389 euros, indicates Lloyds.
Victims mainly between 25 and 34 years old
Between the opening for sale in July 2023 of tickets for the monumental tour The Eras Tour and March 2024, more than 600 Lloyds customers reported being victims of a scam, “much more than for any other musical artist “. Based on these figures, the British bank estimates that there have probably been “at least 3,000 victims in the United Kingdom since the tickets went on sale, and that more than a million pounds (1.17 million dollars) ‘euros) has been lost until now due to fraudsters’.
Most victims are between 25 and 34 years old, and 90% of them were scammed through fake ads or Facebook posts. Dozens of unofficial groups have been created there with the aim of buying and reselling concert tickets for the tour of this global icon, notably via its classified ads platform Marketplace.
Lloyds advises avoiding transfers
Some “Swifties” lost more than a thousand pounds (1,170 euros) thinking they would get the precious ticket for this sold-out European tour, six years after the American icon’s last concert on British soil. “With all UK dates now sold out, more and more fans are at risk of falling victim to scams in the coming weeks and months,” predicted Lloyds, warning that paying by credit card or PayPal was more protective than a transfer.
According to the British bank, the number of concert ticket scams more than doubled last summer compared to the same period the previous year, with an average loss of 133 pounds (155 euros) for fans of Coldplay, Harry Styles or even Beyoncé.