You may remember our coverage here a few weeks back on the proliferation of scams targeting Taylor Swift fans hoping to buy tickets to see one of her current run of shows across Europe…
The Shake It Off star will hold a series of concerts in the UK as she continues her Eras tour, with the first taking place in Edinburgh on 7 June.
But the artist’s megastardom has seen a huge demand for tickets, which were not cheap even before they sold out within minutes – with prices ranging from £58.65 – £194.75.
Resale prices from legitimate websites have been in the region of £700 each – with some fans reported to have spent well in excess of that to see their hero.
However, such is her popularity among an army of mostly young female devotees that the market has become a target for people seeking to exploit the widespread desperation for tickets.
As reported here, a spate of attempts had seen Facebook users’ accounts hacked by scammers, who would then create seemingly genuine posts in groups on the site that the users were members of.
Initially, the posts would suggest the user was seeking to sell tickets – generally four – that were invariably just a few rows from the front of a specific venue for one of Swift’s UK shows.
The price suggested in the posts was generally around £180, more expensive than the face value of most tickets, but a fraction of the cost of those being advertised on legitimate resale sites – especially for such desirable seating.
More recent instances indicate the methods being employed by scammers have since evolved and, it appears, become significantly more sophisticated.
In these more recent attempts to defraud so-called Swifties (and in many cases, the parents purchasing the tickets), the posts detail the specific rows and seat numbers.
A further departure from the previous efforts is the scammers no longer including the asking price for the (non-existent) tickets.
Both these changes were evident in one attempt Sky News has become aware of – as was another and decidedly sinister tactic.
In this case, given the number of previous scams that have flooded Facebook, the admin for the group in question first removed the post – correctly assuming it was fraudulent.
But, he told Sky News, he was subsequently sent a photo of what appeared to be the user’s passport as a means of verifying her post was genuine.
This development indicates the scammer in question had used some form of photo-editing software to create an image that appeared to be of the user’s passport.
“I contacted her to explain that I had deleted her post and removed her account from the group as there are so many scams around, and I could not verify their identity or the validity of the ticket offer,” said Trevor Williams, who runs the local community Facebook group in Birmingham.
“Within a few minutes, I received a photo of a passport in this name and an assurance that she was genuine.
“This was enough to change my decision and the post was put it back on the group.
“Most people have no idea of the problems of being an admin on these groups, as you simply cannot win.”
How can you protect yourself against these scams?
For those looking to buy resale tickets, the main advice is to simply avoid being tempted into seemingly genuine offers posted on Facebook, unless it is from someone you know and have spoken to directly (and not just over Facebook).
Those looking to sell on their tickets will invariably use the established and legitimate resale sites such as Viagogo or StubHub.
Perhaps the most useful piece of advice is an old one – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
In terms of protecting yourself against your account on Facebook (or any social media site) being hacked by scammers, the best measure is to ensure you have enabled two-step or two-factor authentication.
This can be found through the security and privacy settings on your Facebook account, and involves the use of your telephone number or a separate authentication app on your phone whenever someone attempts to log in.
