Taylor Swift fans desperate to buy tickets to her n tour are being warned about a major scam after some of them lost thousands in a bid to attend the pop star’s concert.
Scamwatch, a website run by the ACCC to detect scams, said 273 concertgoers had so far been duped into purchasing fake tickets to Swift’s Era’s Tour in February.
The competition watchdog has estimated that Aussies have lost more than $135,000 to the scam so far with that figure expected to grow.
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said the scammers are using the ‘hottest ticket in town’ to steal hard earned money from hundreds of Taylor Swift fans.
‘This scam is a low act, seeking to take advantage of fans, many of whom are young and are desperately trying to secure a ticket to make their dream of seeing Taylor Swift live come true,’ she said.
Fans of pop superstar Taylor Swift (pictured) are being warned about a major scam with more than 200 Aussies having lost thousands of dollars so far
Ms Lowe urged concertgoers trying to buy last-minute tickets to the 12-time Grammy award winner’s shows in Sydney and Melbourne to be mindful of buying tickets online.
‘We are urging fans to be alert to scammers and think twice before seeking to buy a ticket on social media, even if it’s from a friend or community page you trust,’ she said.
‘We are working with law enforcement and social media platforms to combat these scams but are concerned that scam activity is only going to increase in the lead-up to Taylor Swift’s arrival in in mid-February.’
The fake tickets are being resold with scammers who claim to be selling tickets to the concert contacting fans on social media.
The post tells users that a person who was going to the concert is now unable to attend and instead offers another social media user the tickets at a lower price.
The scammer ask users to pay an extra fee to have the ticket changed under their name and may rush the buyer into purchasing the ‘high demand’ tickets.
The fake tickets are being resold with scammers contacting fans on social media (pictured)
Once the user has paid for the ticket, they are discovering no ticket is forthcoming and they’re no longer able to contact the scammer.
Concertgoers have been urged not to buy tickets on social media and have been advised to buy them from an authorised ticket seller.
Fans have been urged to make sure they check the tickets are not fake by making sure that the person selling them are not scammers,
Swift will perform in Melbourne on February 16, 17, and 18 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and will play four shows in Sydney on February 23, 24, 25, and 26 at Accor Stadium.