Taylor Swift fans are thought to have lost £1 million to fake tickets ahead of her upcoming Eras tour.
Lloyds Bank has issued a warning to its fans, saying more than 600 of its customers have already come forward to report being scammed.
The figures were based on analysis of shopping scams reported by the banking group’s customers in the year to March, where Swift or the Eras Tour – which kicks off in the UK this summer – were mentioned as part of the complaint.
The average amount lost by each victim was £332, although in some cases the loss exceeded £1,000, the bank said.
It is estimated that in the UK there are likely to have been at least 3,000 victims since tickets went on sale, with more than £1 million lost to fraudsters so far.
Fans aged 25 to 34 trying to get their hands on sold-out tickets are most likely to be targeted, data shows.
Fans of major artists like Coldplay, Beyoncé or Harry Styles are also targeted. Across concert ticket scams, victims lose an average of £133.
Purchase scams can occur when someone is tricked into sending money via bank transfer to purchase goods or services that do not exist or are of much lower quality than they were led to believe. . Ticket scams often involve fake advertisements, posts or announcements on social media, often offering tickets or access to already sold out events.
Victims are asked to pay for tickets in advance, but once payment is made, the scammers disappear. This leaves the buyer with no tickets and no pocket.
When tickets to an event are in short supply, scammers know they can take advantage of enthusiastic fans willing to pay significantly more, by falsely claiming to have tickets for sale. There are often two waves of fraud: the first when tickets go on sale and the second when an event takes place, according to experts.
Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Bank, said: “Cruel fraudsters have wasted no time in targeting Taylor’s most loyal fans as they rush to grab tickets for her last tour.
“It’s easy to let our emotions take over when we learn that our favorite artist is going to perform in concert, but it’s important to not let those feelings cloud our judgment when trying to get tickets.”
Last year, Taylor Swift’s image was used in an AI-generated deepfake scam video endorsing a fake Le Creuset cookware “giveaway.” A video shared on various social media platforms purported to show the singer urging her fans to hand over their bank details for a chance to win one of 3,000 kitchen utensils.
In the deepfake clip using Swift’s image, the AI-generated voice said: “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift here. Due to a packaging error, we are unable to sell 3,000 Le Creuset cookware sets. So I’m offering them for free to my loyal fans.
“If you see this ad, you can get free cookware today – but FYI, there are a few rules. »
Victims were asked to provide their banking details, but Le Creuset confirmed the gift was fake.
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