Facebook gig ticket fraud
MUSIC FANS CONNED IN ONLINE STING
A FACEBOOK fraudster conned 38 people into handing over cash for concert tickets she didn’t have – including for high-profile acts such as Ed Sheeran and Little Mix.
Zoe Walton trawled the social media site looking for fans who were keen to see their favourite acts and preyed on their desperation.
Using a series of fake Facebook accounts, Walton tricked people into handing over cash online – which she hoodwinked friends into receiving on her behalf.
In the scam, which lasted a year, the 26-year-old, who has a young son, fleeced victims out of £3,955.
Newcastle Crown Court heard she had done the same previously in 2016 and got a community order, and has now been given a suspended prison sentence for the latest fraud.
Recorder Paul Greaney QC told her: “What you did was trawl social media for messages by which people sought tickets for concerts.
“You made contact to claim, falsely, that you had such tickets.
“You used false Facebook accounts for your purposes and, of course, the victims never received their tickets.
“You persuaded friends to let you use their accounts to transfer the money and their accounts have now been closed, in many cases.
“The fraud was by no means sophisticated and it was inevitably detected.”
The con took place between March 14, 2016 and March 31, 2017.
Among the concerts Walton falsely claimed to have tickets for were Ed Sheeran, Little Mix, Drake and the Lovebox Festival.
Prosecutor Alec Burns said: “She used Facebook accounts to find people looking for tickets for concerts then used the messaging system to say she had such tickets.
“When they chased up not getting the tickets they were promised, she closed the account.”
Walton, of Atkinson Road, Benwell, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and was sentenced to six months suspended for 12 months. Recorder Greaney told her: “It’s a chance for you and your little boy.
“I hope you stay out of trouble because if you don’t it will be a disaster for you and your family.”
The court heard Walton was given a community order in September 2016 for identical offending and then an absolute discharge for further such offences 25 days later – which should have been dealt with on the first occasion.
Richard Herrmann, defending, said some of the current offending predates the previous conviction.
He added: “She’s extremely young and naive.
“Perhaps the best mitigation is this case is now extremely old – it’s taken nearly two years to get to sentence.
“She’s been out of trouble since, despite some really difficult circumstances. She had a horrendous experience in 2015.
“She’s got a 20-month-old son at home. She had to leave home this morning not knowing if she was going home to see him tonight.
“It’s a lesson she will never forget.”
I hope you stay out of trouble because if you don’t it will be a disaster for you and your family
Recorder Paul Greaney