'A scammer tried to sell me Taylor Swift tickets'
I’m a big Taylor Swift fan, but I couldn’t get tickets to her Eras tour despite being on the waitlist.
When a woman posted on my local Facebook page claiming she couldn’t go to one of the Wembley dates and was selling her tickets, I messaged to say I was interested.
She initially offered me two tickets for €200 each, which she then ‘discounted’ to £100 each when I said I was on a budget. I said the tickets would need to be paid for and transferred via the Ticketmaster app – an official resale app – in order to protect me. She agreed to this.
She took my name and email address ‘in order to transfer the tickets’ and sent me a very official-looking email, which included the Ticketmaster logo with her ‘booking’ and the order and seat numbers. At this point I was convinced she was genuine.
However, this all changed when she said she would need payment via bank transfer as she ‘didn’t know’ how resale on the Ticketmaster app worked.
She then sent bank details in the name of someone different. When questioned, she said it was a joint account with her husband – but surely her name would be on a joint account?
I politely refused and broke off contact. Her Facebook profile vanished shortly afterwards.
Parts of the con were executed convincingly and I want to warn others about scams like this.
Name supplied
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Faye Lipson, Which? senior researcher, says:
Taylor Swift’s Eras tour has been subject to unprecedented demand. As you explained to me, tickets were never released to general sale, as the tour sold out to diehard fans (known as ‘Swifties’) who’d joined the waitlist. Given the tour’s popularity, it’s unsurprising that fraudsters would swoop in.
Ticketing scams are on the rise: Santander reported that between January and July these scams doubled compared with the same period the previous year. Concerts and festival tickets made up nearly half of all claims made.
To avoid this type of scam, tickets should only be paid for and transferred through official sellers and websites. The initial request for payment in euros was also suspicious. If you do choose to buy tickets from an individual seller, try to pay using a credit card so you’re protected by Section 75. Alternatively, PayPal has its own 'Buyer Protection' system.
A small risk arises from you having shared your name and email address with the scammer – you’ll need to be wary of phishing emails. Never click on links or call numbers in emails.
If asked for personal or bank details, think about how to verify the request through trustworthy channels.
