Music lovers are being warned by a major bank to watch out for scammers circling as Glastonbury Festival tickets become available.
HSBC UK said criminals will typically pose as a seller and post on social media or online marketplaces.
Once the bait has been taken, they will claim they will post or email the tickets once a bank transfer has been made. But nothing arrives and the criminal disappears.
Recent scam data from HSBC UK has shown the average purchase scam carried out between July and September was for £894.
David Callington, HSBC UK’s head of fraud said: “Scammers are devious criminals who are well versed in tuning in to these events to steal money from innocent consumers looking for tickets at a bargain price.
Purchase scams - where people pay for goods or services which turn out to be fake – are on the rise— David Callington, HSBC UK
“But if someone tries to buy a ticket from an unofficial source, there’s a good chance they will lose their money.
“Purchase scams – where people pay for goods or services which turn out to be fake – are on the rise, with scammers preferring to scam more people with lower-value scams than specifically targeting victims for higher-value frauds.
“We have expert teams working around the clock to identify suspicious transactions, but people can also help protect themselves by taking note of fraud warnings when making payments, and keeping up to date with the latest scam warnings which are highlighted on our latest phishing and social media scams web page or through our fraud and cyber awareness app (on both Android and iOS).”
Standard Glastonbury Festival tickets go on general release on Sunday November 19 at 9am and those wanting to attend need to have already registered in advance.
Giving general tips to stay safe when buying any concert tickets, HSBC UK advised people buy tickets only from the venue’s box office, official sellers or reputable fan websites.
It said people should not click on social media, text or email links or attachments offering tickets, as they could link to fraudulent or malware sites.
People should also avoid paying for tickets via bank transfer, check sellers’ privacy and returns policies and keep receipts, the bank said.
