A mother and daughter from Gwynedd were left out of pocket after falling victim to a Taylor Swift ticket scam. Sian Williams had promised her 18-year-old daughter Efa she would take her to see Swift perform in Liverpool after finishing her A-level exams. When tickets sold out in seconds, she was put in touch with someone who claimed to have four tickets for the show. The scammer provided screenshots of each ticket as well as details about the seating arrangements but after transferring £250, Sian knew she had been scammed.
Consumer watchdogs are warning people to beware of such sophisticated online cons. In another incident, 24-year old Indigo Jones from Swansea realized her social media accounts had been hacked and her profiles used by scammers to advertise tickets that didn’t exist. She describes the incident as frustrating and wishes to raise awareness about it.
A consumer expert at Which? explained that ticket scams like these are common and fraudsters specifically target people “desperate” to see big shows who are “under pressure to make a quick purchase.” She suggests taking a moment before rushing into buying anything and check that you’re sending your money to a legitimate person. If you are worried you’ve been a victim of an online scam, contact your bank to report the fraud as soon as possible and discuss the protections they may provide. “Unfortunately, if you’ve made a bank transfer, directly paying from your account into somebody else’s, it’s a bit more difficult to get your money back. We’d really recommend you don’t use that method of payment,” she said.
Experiencing this type of scam is not unique, and Sian hopes that by sharing her experience, she can prevent it from happening to others. She urges people to be careful not to do “unwise things in the heat of the moment” because “once that money’s sent, it can’t be retrieved.” Further, people should be vigilant while online and make sure to verify the seller’s details before making a payment
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