Oasis have got the band back together and it seems every man and his dog is chomping at the bit for a slice of the action.
This morning tickets for the Brit Pop icons’ reunion tour next year are released to all those who answered half a pub quiz music round to enter the pre-sale ballot.
We’ve already reported on the four major signs Oasis fans need to be wary of to avoid being ripped off and looking back in anger at criminals preying on their excitement.
READ MORE: Oasis reunion tour ticket scam warning – the four signs fans must look out for
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Now Greg Hancell, head of fraud prevention at Lynx – not the deodorant but an AI-driven software company tackling fraud and financial crime – has addressed the Daily Star’s biggest questions about the ticket risks.
How common are these scams?
Greg replied: “Ticket scams are extremely common surrounding large music and sporting events. This year alone, fans lost over £1 million trying to get tickets to the Eras Tour and 6,000 UK football fans fell victim to fraud trying to get Premier League tickets. The Oasis UK tour will see tickets have similar demand, leaving thousands of fans vulnerable to fraudsters.
“If we look at Authorised Push Payment (APP) Fraud – the primary method used to scam fans – we can see that in 2023 alone, users reported 252,626 cases of APP scams totalling almost £341 million. Fans need to have a ‘Masterplan’ to avoid these Oasis ticket scams and always remain fraud-aware.”
“In addition to the advice provided in your initial email, do you have any expertise to lend on trusting social media accounts selling tickets?”
(Image: Mirrorpix)
Can anyone flogging tickets on social media be trusted?
Greg said: “Social media is the gateway to most scams given the ease for criminals to create convincing fake identities and comments supporting them. Recently, TSB claimed 80% of scams originated from Meta for example. As a response some banks now block the user from sending a payment if the purchase originated from social media and they’ve not seen the item in person. Therefore buying tickets through social media always comes with risks.
“It is extremely difficult to verify that someone is who they say they are, or to confirm if tickets are genuine. My advice is that fans only buy tickets from trusted sources, avoiding social media all together.
“Sites like Ticketmaster now have resale options that put tickets back on the site for re-sale, eliminating the risks of fraud. While many will list genuine tickets online, the risk of fraud is incredibly high, leaving many vulnerable to significant losses.”
(Image: Getty Images North America)
Are Oasis fans as vulnerable as Taylor Swift’s?
Greg answered: “For Brits, absolutely. Both groups of fans are extremely passionate about seeing their favourite artists and, the reality is, limited tickets are available leaving thousands of fans without tickets vulnerable. Swifties lost over £1 million to ticket scams in the UK, and the risk is equally high for Oasis’s reunion.
“Incidentally, exclusivity and time pressure are techniques used for social engineering by criminals, so when a genuine event has the same indicators it makes fans more susceptible to scams.”
(Image: Mirrorpix)
How much are fraudsters preying on the desperate
“Online scams are getting increasingly complex, and fraudsters will absolutely be preying on ticket desperation. The bigger the gig, the bigger the opportunity for scammers, as fans are willing to give up huge sums of money in exchange for ‘tickets’ that don’t actually exist.
“Oasis fans need to stay vigilant when purchasing tickets for the upcoming gigs and keep an eye out for common scam signs, so they don’t look back in anger.
“For example, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. If a seller is offering a large discount that you wouldn’t expect to see, it could be a sign of a scam. Another well-used technique by scammers is creating fake websites, that look genuine.
“These sites often use similar names or URLs to legitimate sites, but fans should keep a sharp eye out for subtle changes in the URL that might indicate fraud and check the validity of the site such as how long it has been published and whether it is known and trusted. Also note that most fraudster sites are often https so seeing a green lock in your browser doesn’t mean the site is safe.”
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