Liverpool supporters have been recognized as probably the most frequent and highest-paying victims of ticket scams within the English Premier League soccer season 2023/24, in accordance with a report by NatWest Financial institution.
Final season, Liverpool followers misplaced over £17,000 ($22,000) to criminals, intently adopted by Arsenal followers who misplaced £12,000 ($16,000).
This in accordance with NatWest Financial institution’s ‘League of Ticket Scams,’ which particulars how a lot followers at every membership misplaced final yr to ticket scams.
On common ticket fraud is costing these scammed followers £180.66 a season.
As Arsenal membership tried to win its first title in 20 years, one fan reported the very best ticket rip-off case during which the person misplaced £900 ($1200).
As the top of the season approached, April 2024 was the month probably the most amount of cash was misplaced by followers with £9,925.50 ($13022.11) stolen by criminals. A Newcastle United fan additionally reported a case of £846.50 ($1110.29) being misplaced to cybercriminals and the very best loss for Liverpool was £850 ($1114.88).
Stuart Skinner, Head of Fraud Prevention at NatWest, stated: “As the brand new season kicks off, we urge clients to be additional vigilant and keep protected from criminals who’re exploiting followers devotion to their membership. We estimate the precise worth of ticket scams is doubtlessly a lot larger however not all the scams are reported.”
“Social media platforms want to present a pink card to the fraudsters utilizing them to use individuals’s ardour for soccer,” Skinner added.
Eight Tricks to Keep away from Soccer Ticket Scams
- Purchase from official websites or well-known and respected resale platforms
- If shopping for from a secondary market or a person vendor, confirm the vendor
- Keep away from too-good-to-be-true offers, scammers lure patrons with considerably decrease than the market price
- Earlier than making a purchase order, rigorously look at the ticket particulars. Be cautious of obscure or incomplete info which may point out a fraudulent ticket
- Use safe fee strategies and keep away from paying with money or financial institution transfers
- When buying tickets on-line, guarantee the web site is safe. Search for https:// within the URL and a padlock icon within the handle bar
- Watch out for social media scams. Be cautious of adverts or sellers on social media
- Report suspected scams If you happen to encounter a suspected rip-off, report it your financial institution and the police instantly.
Different scams to pay attention to embrace superior charge scams during which victims are requested to pay an upfront charge for a services or products that doesn’t exist.
