English Premier League fans urged to look out for ticket scams

Thousands of people in the United Kingdom paid for non-existent Premier League soccer tickets last season and should be on their guard this time around as well, Lloyds Bank said in an estimate.

According to the bank, soccer ticketing fraud was up by around a third compared to the previous season. It warned fans to be on their guard – criminals are looking to take advantage of people seeking better offers and sell out their fake tickets quickly.

“Top-level football is a popular hunting ground for fraudsters, as they take advantage of fans’ loyalty and eagerness to watch their favorite team, knowing that most major matches across the country will be sold out,” said the estimate.

Last season, victims lost £177 ($226) on average, although for some it was over £1000 ($1276). About 6,000 UK soccer fans fell victim to fraud last season, Lloyds Bank said.

Unsurprisingly, it’s fans of some of England’s biggest teams – where demand for tickets is strongest – who are most likely to be targeted. Supporters of Arsenal and Liverpool fell victim most often last season.

“Passions run high when supporting your favorite football team, and missing out on the big match after falling victim to a ticket scam can be devastating. There are some simple tactics every fan needs to know. Always stick to official channels as your first line of defense, and avoid deals that look too good to be true,” said Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds.

The scammers typically create fake posts on social media or online marketplaces to advertise tickets that don’t actually exist. Pictures of real tickets are often included to convince the buyer that they are genuine.

But they’re not. Alas, the victims only realize they’ve been duped after already having made a payment, usually by bank transfer. In fact, bank transfers are not nowadays designed as a way of paying for things online and offer little protection if something goes wrong, Lloyds Bank said.

Once the money has been transferred, the fraudster simply disappears, and the victim receives nothing in return.

Lloyds Bank said that more than half of all soccer ticket scams (56%) reported during the 2023/24 campaign started on Facebook, including its Marketplace. 23% of cases began on X.

The bank has urged the social media firms to step up and tackle the fraudsters more aggressively. The new Premier League season kicks off on August 16th.