Beware of Ticket Scams plaguing Facebook and other social platforms

Ticket scams are on the rise on social media, with Taylor Swift’s Eras tour a popular bait in 2024.

Best-selling and sold-out music tours are often a successful lure for scammers looking to rip off music fans, and with certain gigs becoming increasingly difficult to obtain tickets for – such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour – scammers are upping their game.

Most prolifically these scams occur on Facebook, where they are initiated by fake posts and Marketplace listings, often posted by compromised accounts of real people. Many victims have reported that they believed they were buying tickets from their friends without realising their friend’s accounts had been taken over by scammers.

Below is an example of a post falsely offering tickets for Taylor Swift using an account that had been compromised by scammers.

Ticket scams can be very hard to spot since people do genuinely turn to social media to sell on unwanted tickets, and Facebook, unsurprisingly, has taken a somewhat lackluster approach to spotting these scams.

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However if you follow some simple tips, you can limit your chance of being a ticket scammer’s next victim.

• The most obvious advice here is to purchase tickets from authorised sellers only, such as the venue’s Box Office or registered and reputable ticket retailers. This way you know you’ll always be safe from being scammed.
• Never purchase tickets from unsolicited emails advertising companies you’ve not heard of before.
• If you’re purchasing tickets from friends on social media, always call or meet them to ensure you’re not talking to a scammer that’s using their account. This is especially true if your friend messages you or creates a post offering tickets.
• Avoid purchasing from strangers online that you can’t meet face-to-face, but if you do, ensure you use a payment method that [A] can be traced and [B] offers buyer protection – such as PayPal or credit card. Avoid using bank or wire transfer and never purchase anything using redeemable gift cards.
• Beware of posts, listings and messages that appear too good to be true.
• Remember that receipts and purchase confirmations can be forged by scammers so don’t rely on these documents to check if a buyer is genuine.

Finally, it’s worth remembering that if you purchase tickets from strangers online, there is always a risk attached to these sorts of transactions. (The only risk-free approach is to only use authorised and reputable retailers.) If something feels off you’re not entirely sure a person is genuine, the only sound advice is to keep your wallet or purse firmly shut.