Taylor Swift fans in the UK have lost $1.2M from Eras Tour scams: bank
Taylor Swift’s loyal legion of Swifties in the United Kingdom have reportedly been scammed out of $1.2 million in their quest to see the pop star’s coveted “Eras Tour.”
Some 90% of the cons have targeted 25 to 34-year-olds seeking tickets to Swift’s record-breaking international tour on Facebook, including Facebook Marketplace, according to Lloyds Bank.
“A search of Facebook revealed dozens of unofficial groups have been set up, many with tens of thousands of members, specifically for people looking to buy and sell tickets for Taylor Swift concerts,” the London-based shared as part of an “urgent warning” issued Wednesday.
“Likewise Facebook Marketplace has various listings for tickets at venues all over the country [UK],” as Swift gears up to head across the pond for the first time in six years.
The Post’s own search for Eras Tour tickets in the UK did, in fact, yield numerous posts and groups that claim to feature “legit” transactions, including one with upwards of 40,000 members and another dedicated solely to scoring access to Swift’s stops at London’s Wembley Stadium in June and August.
Lloyds found that 600 of its own customers had been victimized alone, losing anywhere from roughly $400 to upwards of $1,200.
Outside of its own banking system, Lloyds estimated some 3,000 more UK residents may have fallen prey to the scams, according to its warning, which was earlier reported on by Business Insider.
In most of the fraudulent transactions, “victims are asked to pay upfront for the tickets, but once the payment is made, the scammers disappear,” Lloyds explained. “This leaves the buyer without the tickets and out of pocket.”
“For her legion of dedicated Swifties, the excitement is building ahead of Taylor’s Eras Tour finally touching down in the UK this summer. 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,” the bank’s fraud prevention director, Liz Ziegler, said.
Ziegler advised aspiring Eras Tour attendees to buy “directly from reputable, authorized platforms” — and “even then, always pay by debit or credit card for the greatest protection.”
“It’s easy to let our emotions get the better of us when we find out our favorite 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,” Ziegler added.
For those that still want to take a risk of buying second-hand, “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,” Ziegler warned.
It’s been a “Cruel Summer” for Swifties in other parts of the world as well — including 20-year-old Australian fan Grace, who told a local radio station late last year that she lost over $775 after seeing a “friend of a friend” selling four of the highly coveted tickets on Facebook.
“I messaged them and they sent a screenshot of the email confirmation of having bought these tickets. It had their name in it, it had the section of the tickets, it had four tickets,” she explained.
“None of my alarm bells were raised because that all looked above board to me.”
But in reality, it wasn’t her friend on the other side of the message at all, but rather a scammer who hacked into the Facebook account.
Fearing the worst, Grace phoned up her friend and learned she wasn’t the only victim.
Yin, like Grace, took to Facebook to find a ticket being sold second-hand, forking over about $388 to a seller she thought was selling legitimate tickets before being blocked.
And fellow Australian Swiftie named Nick was yet another fan who was scammed by a hacker masquerading as a Facebook friend.
After he made contact, the scammer offered various tickets and even asked Nick how his family was doing, feigning a personal connection.
Nick lost $388 to the scam after he transferred the funds and the hacker vanished.
Tickets to Swift’s Eras Tour have been so popular since the concert kicked off in March 2023 that it became the highest-grossing tour of its kind by December, when it raked in more than $1 billion, according to Pollstar’s 2023 year-end charts.
Thank’s to the concert’s blockbuster success, Swift, 34, scored billionaire status.
And it’s not over yet: Swift won’t perform her final Eras Tour concert until December 2024 in Vancouver, Canada, following a stint across Europe and additional US shows in Florida, Louisiana and Indiana.
