Hopeful Taylor Swift fans looking to secure last-minute tickets to the Australian leg of the megastar’s tour are being warned of cruel scammers selling fake tickets on social media.
The warning comes follows a recent spike in reports of scammers compromising social media accounts to sell fake The Eras Tour tickets to the hacked account’s friends list.
Scamwatch has already received 273 reports of people being scammed out of their hard-earned cash since the tickets went on sale in June 2023.
According to the Consumer Watchdog, hopeful Swifties have already lost over $135,000 to the scam so far, with the ACCC admitting that figure is likely to rise.
“The Eras Tour is the hottest ticket in town this summer and scammers are seizing the opportunity to dupe Australian Swifties looking to buy resale tickets,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
“This scam is a low act, seeking to take advantage of fans, many of whom are young and are desperately trying to secure a ticket to make their dream of seeing Taylor Swift live come true.
“We are working with law enforcement and social media platforms to combat these scams but are concerned that scam activity is only going to increase in the lead-up to Taylor Swift’s arrival in Australia in mid-February”.
Ms Lowe said the safest way to get legitimate tickets is by purchasing from the authorised reseller, Ticketek Marketplace.
“We are urging fans to be alert to scammers and think twice before seeking to buy a ticket on social media, even if it’s from a friend or community page you trust,” she said.
How the scam works:
- You’re contacted by a friend on social media or see a post by a friend or someone you know and trust on a community page selling tickets to a Taylor Swift concert.
- The social media post or message includes a story about why the person can’t go to the concert and is offering to sell the tickets “at cost”.
- The scammer may ask you to pay an additional fee related to changing the ticket to your name.
- Scammers may try and rush you to purchase the tickets and transfer money by referring to the high demand for the tickets.
- Once paid for, you’re left without the ticket to the concert and no further contact, only to find out that your friend or acquaintance’s social media profile has been hacked.
