One in four Britons report falling victim to ticket scams, losing an average of £82 each, according to a study commissioned by Nationwide building society. The high demand and low availability of tickets for in-demand events have created a “perfect storm” for scammers, with fears of missing out (fomo) driving fans to take risks.
The research comes ahead of the Glastonbury festival ticket resale, where thousands of music fans will have a second chance to secure entry to this year’s event. The resale is expected to take place within the next fortnight and could see even higher demand than usual due to next year’s fallow year, where there will be no festival.
Recent high-profile events like Taylor Swift’s tour and Oasis’s reunion shows have led to fans losing significant amounts of money to scammers. Lloyds bank found that Oasis fans lost an average of £346 each, while Taylor Swift fans lost over £1m in total.
The research also found that younger adults aged 25-34 were the most vulnerable to being scammed, with many willing to take risks to secure tickets. Nationwide’s director of economic crime, Jim Winters, warned fans to be cautious when buying tickets from questionable sources and to be aware of potential scams.
The study found that over half of those surveyed would consider buying tickets from questionable sources to avoid missing out, increasing their chances of falling victim to fraud. Winters emphasized the importance of staying vigilant and not letting emotions rule decision-making when it comes to purchasing tickets for in-demand events.
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