A mother who promised Taylor Swift tickets to her daughter to celebrate finishing her A-levels is among British fans being conned out of £1million by cruel fraudsters.
Sian Williams, from Gwynedd, Wales, believed she was speaking to a mutual friend who claimed they had four tickets to Swift’s sellout Eras Tour show in Liverpool.
The mother-of-two had wanted to buy tickets for her daughter Efa, 18, as a well done treat for finishing her exams, but was unable to get tickets in Cardiff.
When scammers asked for £500 in exchange for the sought-after concert tickets, they provided screenshots and gave details about seating arrangements.
But after sharing bank details over WhatsApp and transferring the first £250, Ms Williams realised something was wrong and refused to pay the rest.
She is just one of thousands of British Swifties falling victim to online scams, with Lloyds issuing a warning to their customers to be vigilant.
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Sian Williams, pictured with her daughter Efa, was scammed out of £250 when trying to buy Taylor Swift tickets from who she thought was a friend of friend
British Taylor Swift fans have been falling victim to the scams online when trying to buy tickets
The bank believes that once other lenders are taken into account, the true number will likely run to more than 3,000 with losses over £1million.
Lloyds said the average amount lost by each victim was £332, although for some it was more than £1,000.
‘I didn’t think anything of it because it was a friend of a friend,’ Ms Williams told the BBC Wales, after losing £250 during the ordeal.
But now realising the scammer had ‘absolutely impersonated’ her mutual friend, she said: ‘We’re out of pocket and still haven’t got any tickets.’
Another fan revealed how they were almost scammed when trying to buy Swift’s Eras Tour tickets via Facebook at the end of last year.
The fan said they found a woman selling tickets for the Wembley show on social media, which they agreed to buy so long as the payment was transferred via the official Ticketmaster app.
The woman said she would need payment via bank transfer as she ‘didn’t know’ how resale on the Ticketmaster app worked.
The seller then sent bank details in the name of someone different, before claiming it was a joint account with her husband – at which point the fan declined to purchase, they told Which?.
Lloyds’ research found that fans aged 25 to 34 were most likely to be targeted, with many scams originating on social media.
Lloyds said it was looking more broadly at concert ticket fraud after fans of artists such as Coldplay, Beyonce and Harry Styles were among those targeted last summer.
Purchase scams can happen when someone is tricked into sending money via bank transfer to buy goods or services that are fake, shoddy or do not exist.
Liz Ziegler, Fraud Prevention Director at Lloyds Bank, said: ‘For her legion of dedicated Swifties, the excitement is building ahead of Taylor’s Eras Tour finally touching down in the UK this summer.
Lloyds said the average amount lost by each victim scammed by a Taylor Swift ticket con was £332, although for some it was more than £1,000
‘However cruel fraudsters have wasted no time in targeting her most loyal fans as they rush to pick up tickets for her must-see concerts.
‘It’s easy to let our emotions get the better of us when we find out our favourite artist is going to be performing live, but it’s important not to let those feelings cloud our judgement when trying to get hold of tickets.
‘Buying directly from reputable, authorised platforms is the only way to guarantee you’re paying for a genuine ticket. Even then, always pay by debit or credit card for the greatest protection.
‘If you’re being asked to pay by bank transfer, particularly from a seller you’ve found on social media, that should immediately set alarm bells ringing.’