Swifties lose £1m in scam for fraudulent Eras tour tickets as hundreds are ripped off

TAYLOR SWIFT fans thought to have lost £1 million to a fake ticket scam surge before her Eras tour.

Lloyds Bank has issued a warning to fans, saying that more than 600 of its customers have come forward so far to report being scammed.

The figures were based on analysis of relevant purchase scams reported by customers of the bank in the year to March where Swift and/or the soldout Eras tour – which kicks off in the UK this summer – were referenced as part of the claim.

The average amount lost by each victim was £332, though in some cases it was more than £1,000, the bank said. It estimated across the UK there are likely to have been at least 3,000 victims since tickets went on sale, with more than £1million lost to fraudsters so far. Fans aged 25 to 34 were the most likely to be targeted, data show. But fans of artists such as Coldplay, Beyonce and Harry Styles are also being targeted. Across all concert ticket scams, victims are losing £133 on average. Purchase scams can occur when someone is tricked into sending money via bank transfer for goods or services that do not exist or are of far lower quality than advertised. Ticket scams often involve fake adverts, posts or listings on social media, offering tickets or access to events that are already sold out. Victims are asked to pay up-front, but once payment is made, the scammers disappear, leaving the buyer with no tickets and out of pocket.

There are often two waves of fraud – the first when tickets go on sale and the second around the time an event takes place, according to experts.

Liz Ziegler, the fraud prevention director at Lloyds, said: “Cruel fraudsters have wasted no time in targeting [Swift’s] most loyal fans as they rush to pick up tickets.

“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.”

Last year, Taylor Swift’s image was used in an AI deepfake scam video endorsing a fake Le Creuset cookware “giveaway”. Victims were invited to provide their bank details, but Le Creuset confirmed the competition was bogus.