A consumer expert has revealed the biggest concert scams people fall for and how to avoid them, as the UK expects many big-name artists to perform this summer.
Consumer expert Alice Beer appeared on This Morning today to educate concertgoers about different fraudulent tactics to try to extract their money.
Global superstar Taylor Swift will hit several stadiums across the UK in June for her highly sought-after Eras tour.
It sold more than 4.3 million tickets and Swifties rushed to websites to try and get their hands on some after they quickly sold out.
But those who want a chance to see the singer should not turn to websites like Facebook, warns Alice.
Global superstar Taylor Swift will be hitting stadiums across the UK in June for her highly sought-after Eras tour.
Speaking to Dermot and Jodie, he said: “When there’s a sold-out event, there are always people desperate to get tickets who didn’t get them on the first release.
‘Just like Taylor Swift fans, who queue and queue online, you don’t understand them and you’re disappointed. Then when they become available elsewhere, you try it and that’s when you start making mistakes.”
Alice said fines are not the only thing at risk, car parking and hotels are also places to pay attention to.
It claims there have been more than 150,000 cases of purchase scams, where people bought something and didn’t get what they wanted.
According to Alice, Lloyds Bank said 600 of its customers were defrauded when trying to buy Taylor Swift tickets to the tune of more than a million pounds.
People were sold tickets that didn’t exist, tickets that had been sold multiple times, or they bought a seat only to discover when they arrived that it wasn’t the one they had purchased.
He said the first thing to consider is where you buy, adding that sites like Facebook do not allow ticket sales.
Alice said you should go to Ticketmaster, a box office or a trusted promoter to get tickets and make sure all transactions are done through the website.
The way you buy your tickets might also cover it. If you buy them by bank transfer, you are less protected than if you used your credit, debit or PayPal card.
She advised fans to slow down and take a second to think about where and from whom they are shopping.
Taylor sold more than 4.3 million tickets and Swifties rushed to websites to try to get their hands on some after they quickly sold out.
Alice Beer, consumer editor and expert, appeared on This Morning today to educate concertgoers about different fraudulent tactics to try to extract their money.
Whenever you buy a ticket from someone, make sure you do your homework and research who the person is and what credentials they have, Alice added.
Recently, Nicki Minaj fans who traveled to the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester were left heartbroken after being told the singer would not be performing following her arrest in Amsterdam.
Ticket holders were allowed into the venue despite the 41-year-old star being detained at Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possession of soft drugs. She was fined and released a few hours later.
The rapper’s lovers were told that the concert had been canceled but that the date would be rescheduled.
Alice said if they can’t make the new date, they will receive a refund of the ticket cost, but not the booking fee.
If they booked hotels, train tickets and parking, they will probably lose that money as they are not eligible for a refund.
But Alice says if you book a gig in another city, it’s worth buying it as part of a package because if it’s cancelled, you can claim a refund for the entire trip.
Dermot and Jodie listened to Alice talk on This Morning about the most common scams.
Websites like Ticketmaster sell insurance, but Alice says you’re only covered if someone close to you dies or if you’re sick and can’t attend.
Alice then warned against parking scams and said there are fake apps that claim to help you pay for your space.
People enter their banking details into these apps, but they are not legitimate, which means you will be fined and lose your money.
One way to avoid this is to download directly from the app store and check how many downloads it has, if it has a lot of downloads it is probably real.
Another way scammers could scam you is through fake QR codes that are pasted over the original ones.
‘Just be careful. Look at it, is there a sticker there? Is there another form of payment that is legitimate? “You don’t need to download a QR viewing app, your iPhone will do it automatically and take you to the site,” she said.
Alice then said that experts have warned that parking close to a spot increases the risk of car theft or having items stolen from your vehicle.
In terms of accommodation scams, he said to stay on legitimate sites like Booking.com and Airbnb and not make any payments outside the website.