Football fans warned of Premier League ticket scams

Thousands of young people in the UK were duped into paying for non-existent Premier League football tickets last season, according to an estimate by Lloyds Bank.

The company said football ticket fraud against its customers had increased by around a third compared to the previous season, and warned fans to be on their guard.

Banking group UK Finance said tickets were selling quickly and criminals were able to take advantage of people looking for deals.

She urged social media companies to take more action to stop fraud and asked customers to be vigilant.

According to Lloyds Bank estimates, around 6,000 British football fans were victims of fraud last season.

It analysed its own fraud figures and estimated the fraud suffered by customers of all banks based on Lloyd’s market share – it holds around a fifth of the UK’s current accounts.

This means that at least 1,200 Lloyd’s customers were defrauded last season.

More than half of those scammed were between 18 and 34 years old.

His clients lost an average of £177, but for some it amounted to more than £1,000.

Criminals most often targeted fans of the biggest teams, with Arsenal and Liverpool supporters being the most common victims.

About 56% of scams started on Facebook Marketplace, and another 26% started on X (formerly Twitter).

Earlier this year, Lloyds Bank estimated that Taylor Swift fans had lost more than £1 million to ticket scams ahead of her UK tour.

Criminals create fake posts on social media or online marketplaces to promote tickets that don’t exist, often with photos of real tickets to convince the buyer they are authentic.

The victim is then asked to make a payment, usually by bank transfer.

Once the money is transferred, the scammer disappears and the victim gets nothing in return.

The problem with bank transfers is that they aren’t designed for online transactions, so it’s harder to get your money back once it’s gone.

Banks can reimburse victims, but the transactions do not have the same protections as buying an item with a credit card, for example.

Liz Ziegler, director of fraud prevention at Lloyds Bank, said: “Missing the big game after being the victim of a ticket scam can be devastating.”

She advised fans to stick to official ticketing channels and avoid offers that seem too good to be true.

UK Finance said fans should stop and think before parting with their cash.

He said it’s okay to decline requests and that scammers will likely try to rush or panic you into making a decision.

You get extra protection if you use a credit card to make a purchase between £100 and £30,000.

The Premier League advises fans to purchase directly from clubs or authorised ticketing partners.

A spokesperson for the banking industry body said that last year customers lost almost £86 million to so-called “purchase scams”, with nine out of ten scams starting online.

“Tech and social media companies must step up and tackle the crime that takes place on their platforms and contribute to the cost of reimbursing victims,” the spokesperson said.

Facebook owner Meta and X have been contacted for comment.