Ticket scammers set to hit music festivals, experts warn

Scammers are taking advantage of music fans searching for tickets to sold-out events by setting up fake ticketing websites and social media personas, experts have warned.

Festival goers are at risk of ticket scams, Barclays has warned.

More than a quarter of millennial festival-goers have fallen victim to a ticket scam, costing them an average of £179, according to a survey from Barclays.

The warning comes ahead of the festival season when hundreds of thousands of tickets will be snapped up, amid booming demand. The bank warned that criminals are using a range of methods to tempt music fans, from offering tickets on social media, as well as directing targets to bogus ticketing sites

However, its poll found that although 40 per cent of young music fans said buying a ticket from a tout on a social media group carries one of the greatest risks of being scammed, it does not necessarily put them off.

Ross Martin, Barclays head of digital safety, said: “As we enter the festival season, it is easy to forget our online safety as people look to secure their must-have tickets. Yet, we should all be aware of the risks when purchasing tickets and make sure we are carrying out proper safety checks, to ensure our festival experience is not ruined by fraudsters.”

Consumer groups such as Which? have recently launched a campaign against secondary ticket sites, which have been found to sell tickets through touts, often for multiple times the ticket's original value.

Viagogo last month came under fire from MPs, who took the unusual step of urging consumers to boycott the site. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee criticised Viagogo for “misleading” consumers, many of whom found the site through paid-for ads on Google. Last year, the site pledged it would start displaying ticket prices including VAT and booking fees upfront in a bid to clean up its act.