One in 4 Britons say they’ve fallen sufferer to a ticket rip-off involving an in-demand occasion and misplaced £82 every on common, in response to analysis issued forward of the official Glastonbury competition ticket resale.
Excessive demand and low availability, fuelled by “fomo” (concern of lacking out), have been making a “excellent storm” for scammers, mentioned Nationwide constructing society, which commissioned the evaluation.
It made the warning as 1000’s – and doubtlessly thousands and thousands – of music followers gear up for a second likelihood to safe entry to this yr’s Glastonbury after the majority of the tickets bought out in 35 minutes in November.
A resale of what could possibly be a number of thousand cancelled and returned tickets is anticipated to happen inside the subsequent fortnight – final yr it was on 18 and 21 April – and demand could possibly be even increased than ordinary as subsequent yr will likely be a fallow yr, which means there will likely be no competition , to permit the positioning to get better.
Over the past yr or so, a number of high-profile occasions created a clamour for tickets, triggering a spate of scams. Months earlier than Taylor Swift’s Eras tour had even reached UK shores final summer season, British followers have been estimated to have misplaced greater than £1m after tickets went on sale.
Oasis followers who fell sufferer to scammers of their desperation to safe tickets to the Manchester band’s UK reunion reveals this summer season misplaced £346 every on common, in response to a Lloyds financial institution evaluation of its personal information.
There have additionally been warnings that followers of Woman Gaga will likely be focused after tickets for her forthcoming UK area tour went on sale on Thursday.
Lloyds financial institution has beforehand mentioned greater than 90% of reported instances began with pretend adverts or posts on social media, and so they normally contain individuals being tricked into sending cash through financial institution switch. Nevertheless, many individuals don’t report the crime, actually because they’re embarrassed about falling sufferer to a con, or in some instances as a result of the quantity concerned was comparatively small.
The analysis by Nationwide discovered that simply over half (51%) of these polled would think about shopping for tickets from “questionable sources” to keep away from lacking out, rising their possibilities of falling sufferer to fraud. Greater than a fifth (22%) have been “ready to pay further on account of fomo”.
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These aged 25-34 have been essentially the most weak to being scammed. Two in 5 (40%) of this age group “would knowingly threat shopping for pretend tickets” to safe a spot, mentioned Nationwide.
Jim Winters, Nationwide’s director of financial crime, mentioned: “When provided high-demand tickets which might be low-cost, and even simply obtainable, followers can simply lose management of their senses as their hearts rule their heads.”
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