Touts pretend to be concert terror victims
Thousands of opportunists apply for tribute show tickets meant for fans who fled Manchester attack
A STAR-STUDDED concert to honour those affected by the Manchester terrorist attack has been exploited by ticket touts and “opportunists” who posed as victims in more than 10,000 false claims for free seats.
The One Love Manchester concert, due to be headlined by Ariana Grande on Sunday night, and including acts such as Coldplay, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, has been swamped with “unscrupulous” requests for the free tickets offered to those who fled for their lives from the original show.
Dozens of genuine fans feared yesterday that they had missed out on their promised tickets, as organisers were unable to verify their details under the weight of applications, a source said.
Ticketmaster staff had to battle known touts and members of the public chancing their luck by claiming to have been at the concert when it was hit by a suicide bomb attack which killed 22 and left many others injured. Tickets for the tribute show, which also went on sale to the public for £40, appeared on resale websites for £200 a piece, leaving ebay, Ticketmaster and others tracking down the culprits and cancelling their seats.
A spokesman for Ticketmaster criticised “opportunists” who had tried to take advantage of the offer and confirmed that all genuine applicants would get a seat as long as they provided correct proof of their attendance.
The chaos led Ticketmaster to extend its deadline for applications until yesterday afternoon, after being inundated with complaints by those who feared they had missed their chance. Some accused organisers of compounding the distress of their children.
In a statement, Ticketmaster said: “We have set aside tickets for the 14,200 people who were at the Ariana Grande concert to attend One Love Manchester for free. More than 25,000 people applied for them.
“Sadly, over 10,000 unscrupulous applications have been made.” It said it was “doing everything we can to ensure tickets go to the actual fans and not the opportunists or touts who have also been applying for free tickets”.
The concert at Lancashire Cricket Club’s Old Trafford ground features Grande accompanied by a Manchester children’s choir, with Bieber, Perry and Coldplay joining Miley Cyrus, Take That, Robbie Williams, Little Mix, the Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Pharrell Williams and One Direction’s Niall Horan.
The night will involve a major security operation by police, including armed officers and stringent searches. Proceeds will go to a fund to support grieving families and victims of the attack.
Yesterday the Queen, attending the last Buckingham Palace garden party of the year, expressed her sympathy for the children caught up in the bombing, saying that she hopes they do not suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.