Fake Premiere League Ticket Scams (Campaign)

Overview

As anticipation builds for the 2024/25 English Premier League season, football fans are being urged to stay vigilant against a growing wave of online ticket scams. Recent analysis by Lloyds Bank reveals a concerning surge in fake ticket schemes, with fraud reports up by 32% during the 2023/24 season compared to the prior year. The allure of sold-out stadiums and the passion for top clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool make football a lucrative target for fraudsters who exploit fans’ eagerness, often leaving them hundreds—or even thousands—of pounds out of pocket. On average, victims lost around £177, though for some, the damage exceeded £1,000.

A significant factor behind this increase in fraud lies in social media, particularly platforms like Facebook Marketplace. According to the report, over half of all football ticket scams originated on Facebook, with scammers using enticing photos of genuine tickets to lure fans into making payments for seats that do not exist. These transactions are often conducted via bank transfer, a payment method with minimal recourse for victims if the transaction turns out to be fraudulent. Once the money is sent, the scammer vanishes, and the hopeful fan is left empty-handed, missing out on the big match.

Targets

Individuals

How they operate

Scammers typically initiate the process by creating fake profiles on popular platforms like Facebook Marketplace, where they post enticing advertisements featuring high-demand match tickets. These posts often include realistic images of genuine tickets, club logos, and well-worded descriptions to create an air of authenticity. This initial setup is crucial, as it sets the stage for convincing fans who may already be emotionally invested in attending a particular game, increasing the likelihood that they will overlook warning signs.

Once the fake listing is live, fraudsters use various social engineering techniques to engage potential buyers. Commonly, scammers will respond quickly to any inquiries, maintaining a friendly or urgent tone that pressures the victim into acting swiftly. They may assert that the tickets are in limited supply or that they’ve already received multiple offers, compelling fans to complete the transaction before “someone else” does. At this point, scammers frequently instruct buyers to make payments via bank transfer—an irreversible method that offers minimal fraud protection. By using bank transfers rather than more secure methods like credit cards, they ensure that victims have few recourses once the money is sent, and they can promptly vanish from the platform.

To conceal their identity, these fraudsters often create disposable accounts and may use techniques like IP masking or VPNs, allowing them to operate from various locations without raising suspicion. If an account gets flagged or reported, they can easily switch to another account, continuing the scam without interruption. Some sophisticated operators may even employ automated tools or scripts to manage multiple accounts, maximizing their reach and generating more fraudulent listings across different social media platforms. This level of automation allows them to cast a wide net and interact with many potential victims simultaneously, increasing their odds of finding someone willing to pay.

A critical factor in the success of these scams is the lack of verification mechanisms on social media platforms for ticket resale. Fraudsters exploit the trust that users place in these platforms, which typically lack robust methods to verify whether a seller is genuine or selling legitimate goods. As long as they follow general community guidelines, these scammers can continue creating realistic listings with minimal risk of detection. With the continued rise in digital ticket sales and the absence of stringent platform regulations, football ticket scams represent a lucrative opportunity for online fraudsters, highlighting the need for greater awareness and improved security measures on social networks and marketplaces.

Reference: 

• Football fans urged to be on the ball amid rise in ticket scams