If buying Oasis tickets wasn’t on your list of ‘things to do in 2024’, it certainly is now. After a 16-year wait, the Gallagher brothers are back with an Oasis reunion. The iconic British band is set to go on the Oasis Live ‘25 tour next year to play a string of 14 shows across the UK and Ireland.
While fans may be eager to get their hands on Oasis tickets, Lloyds Bank has warned of ticket scams, which could leave you out of pocket - and ticketless.
Over £1 million was lost to ticket scams when Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour took place this year as scammers tapped into eager fans desperate to get hold of tickets.
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And with scammers getting increasingly sophisticated – from holiday scams to copycat banking and Euro 2024 ticket fraud - it is often difficult to spot a scam.
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Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director of Lloyds Bank, said, “Hot on the heels of Taylor Swift’s record-breaking UK tour, fraudsters will be eagerly anticipating another run of sell-out shows next summer.
“Missing out on these landmark gigs would be devastating for Oasis fans who have waited so long for this reunion. But you can be sure that criminals are getting ready to ‘slide away’ with their hard-earned cash.”
We look at what you can do to avoid being scammed when buying concert tickets.
How to spot an Oasis ticket scam
Data from Lloyds Bank data shows concert ticket scams rose by an eye-watering 158% last summer. Fans of Coldplay, Beyonce and Harry Styles were especially targeted, losing £133 per person, on average. And this year, Swifties had to bear the maximum brunt of these scams, with some being ripped off in £1,000s – more money lost than for any other artist.
It’s not hard to imagine that a reunion after 16 years of one of the most influential bands in the UK would cause a similar effect. Kevin McManus, head of UNESCO City of Music at Culture Liverpool told ITV News, "I think people forget but the two Knebworth shows they [Oasis] did, almost 4% of the population tried to get tickets. They sold out 250,000 tickets, but it was a ridiculous amount of people who tried to buy tickets, they were that huge."
To manage demand, Ticketmaster has set a strict four-ticket per household limit, and only tickets that are purchased through approved agents will be valid.
But how exactly could these scams work? Some of the tricks that scammers use include:
- Meta scam: Nearly half of all concert ticket scams start on Facebook. The social media giant has become a mediator for scammers and innocent victims looking for the best bargains via Facebook business account scams or group pages.
- Peak times: These frauds usually take place when concert tickets first go on sale and then when the event is nearing the date, targeting those who couldn’t get hold of ticket
- Fake adverts: scammers create fake adverts, posts or listings on social media and top it up with sweet offers such as discounts or VIP access.
- Upfront payment: Scammers often ask for upfront payments to seal the deal, but once the payment is made, the tickets do not come through.
Ziegler says: “It’s easy to let our emotions get the better of us when we find out our favourite artist is going to be performing live, but it’s important not to let those feelings cloud our judgement when trying to get hold of tickets.”
How to protect yourself from Oasis ticket scams
Here’s what you can do to avoid being caught out.
- Only buy Oasis Live 25 concert tickets from trusted sources. According to the official Oasis website, this means that fans can use Ticketmaster and the Gigs and Tours agency. Avoid buying any last-minute tickets outside the venue or by any other agency, as you could be denied entry to the event.
- Don’t pay using bank transfer, especially if you don’t know the seller. Credit cards or other payment methods like PayPal give you a better chance of getting the money back if you become a victim of fraud.
- Don’t use the same password for your email and ticket accounts that you use for everything else. It’s best practice to create a strong password and turn on 2-step verification so you have extra security in case something goes wrong.
- Be careful of emails, texts or any ads that offer ‘too good to be true’ ticket deals out of the blue. If something seems too good of an offer, it most likely is.
- You can check if a ticket seller is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR). It’s a UK government-approved ticket sales body where vendors need to sign up to a code of practice to ensure that ticket buyers are confident in their purchases and don’t get scammed. So, if you spot a retail company selling tickets out of the blue, only consider buying from them if they are a STAR member.
What to do if you’ve been scammed
If you think you’ve been scammed, report it to Action Fraud or call them on 0300 123 2040 anytime between Monday to Friday 8am and 8pm.
If you paid by credit card, you could get compensated via the Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act if you paid over £100. If you paid using a debit card, you may be able to ask for a refund under the ‘chargeback’ scheme.
You can also contact STAR to let them know so that they can help prevent this in future cases.
