Taylor Swift’s loyal Swiftie army in the UK was reportedly scammed out of $1.2 million trying to catch the pop star’s coveted ‘Ellas Tour’.
According to Lloyds Bank, about 90% of the scams target 25 to 34-year-olds seeking tickets to Swift’s record-breaking international tour on Facebook, including Facebook Marketplace.
“A search of Facebook reveals dozens of unofficial groups specifically targeted at people looking to buy and sell tickets to Taylor Swift concerts, many with tens of thousands of members. It turns out that this is the case,” the London-based newspaper shared as part of an “urgent alert.” ” Published Wednesday.
“Similarly, Facebook Marketplace has various listings of tickets for venues across the country. [UK]” Swift is gearing up to cross the pond for the first time in six years.
Indeed, the Post’s own search for tickets for the Elas tour in the UK found numerous posts and groups claiming to offer “legitimate” deals. These include posts with more than 40,000 members and posts whose sole purpose was to record access to Swift’s stop at London’s Wembley Stadium in June and August.
Lloyd’s found that 600 of its own customers alone were affected, with losses ranging from approximately $400 to more than $1,200.
Lloyds estimates that around 3,000 further UK residents may have fallen prey to the scam outside of its own banking system, Lloyds said in its warning. Business Insider.
In most fraudulent transactions, “the victim is asked to pay for the ticket upfront, but once the payment is completed, the scammer is gone,” Lloyds explained. “This means that buyers will not be able to get tickets and will have to pay out of pocket.”
“For her legion of devoted Swifties, excitement is building before Taylor’s Ellas tour finally hits the UK this summer. But brutal scammers are trying to steal tickets to her must-see concert. “They’re wasting their time targeting her most loyal fans who are inundated with requests for information,” said Liz Ziegler, the bank’s fraud prevention director.
Ziegler advised aspiring Elas Tour participants to buy “directly from trusted and accredited platforms,” adding, “Even then, always pay with a debit or credit card for maximum protection. It was recommended that
“It’s easy to get emotional when you find out your favorite artist is performing, but it’s important not to let those emotions cloud your judgment when it comes to getting tickets,” Ziegler added.
Still, for those willing to take the risk of buying a second-hand item, Ziegler says, “If a seller asks you to pay by bank transfer, especially if you find it on social media, that should immediately set off alarm bells.” he warned.
It’s been a brutal summer for Swifties in other parts of the world, too. Among them was Australian fan Grace, 20, who told a local radio station late last year that she “lost over $775 meeting a friend of a friend.” ” He sold four of the highly coveted tickets on his Facebook page.
“I messaged them and they sent me a screenshot of their ticket purchase confirmation email. It had their name on it, there was a section for tickets, and they had four tickets. ” she explained.
“For me, it was all top-down, so nothing set off any alarm bells for me.”
But in reality, the person on the other end of the message wasn’t her friend, but a scammer who had hacked into her Facebook account.
Fearing the worst, Grace called a friend and learned she wasn’t the only victim.
Like Grace, Yin found a used ticket for sale on Facebook and gave about $388 to a seller who believed he was selling legitimate tickets, but he was later blocked.
And fellow Australian Swiftie named Nick was one of the fans who was scammed by a hacker posing as a Facebook friend.
After contacting Nick, the scammer offered various tickets and even asked Nick how his family was doing under the guise of a personal connection.
After Nick transferred the funds, he lost $388 to the scam and the hacker disappeared.
According to Pollstar’s 2023 year-end charts, tickets for Swift’s Elas Tour have been extremely popular since the concerts began in March 2023, with the tour becoming the highest-grossing tour of its kind by December. , which raised more than $1 billion.
Thanks to the huge success of the concert, 34-year-old Swift has achieved the status of a billionaire.
And it’s not over yet. Swift will not perform her final Elas tour concert in December 2024 in Vancouver, Canada, after a stint across Europe and additional U.S. dates in Florida, Louisiana, and Indiana.
