Young football fans in the UK were conned into paying for Premier League football tickets that did not exist last season, says Lloyds Bank. The bank claims that football ticketing fraud against its customers rose by around a third compared to the previous year. UK Finance, a banking industry group, says criminals can exploit people looking for offers as tickets are sold out quickly. It also called on social media firms to do more to prevent scams and warned customers to be vigilant.
Lloyds Bank estimates that around 6,000 football fans in the UK fell victim to fraud last season. The bank looked at its own fraud figures and made an estimate based on its market share of around one-fifth of the current account market. It was estimated that a minimum of 1,200 Lloyds customers were scammed last season. The bank claims that over half of the people caught out were aged between 18 and 34 years old. The victim’s average loss was £177, but some were scammed out of more than £1,000.
The fraudsters are most likely to target fans of the top teams, The Gooners and Reds were the most frequently affected. Criminals often create fake posts on social media or online marketplaces to advertise tickets that are not genuine and show pictures of real tickets to deceive buyers. Payments are usually made through bank transfer, leaving victims with little recourse for action, as there is no protection for such transactions like there is for purchasing with a bank card.
Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Bank, warned fans against tempting offers, advising them to stick to purchasing from official channels. UK Finance encouraged buyers to think carefully before making payments and said they should not be rushed into making a decision. Fans who use credit cards to buy football tickets costing from £100 to £30,000 will benefit from extra protection. The Premier League recommends buying only from authorised ticket partners or clubs themselves.
Last year, nine out of ten scams began online, causing the loss of nearly £86m to what UK Finance refers to as “purchase scams.” The organisation called for tech and social media companies to do more to stop criminality on their platforms and to help reimburse victims. A response was sought from Facebook owner Meta and X, but they have not yet commented
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