Taylor Swift fans have lost an estimated £1million in ticket scams ahead of the UK leg of her Eras tour, according to a Lloyds Bank report.
The bank said more than 600 of its customers had reported being scammed, losing an average of £332 each, with some losing £1,000.
He added that 90% of reported ticket scams started on Facebook.
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There has been huge demand for tickets to see the superstar when she performs in the UK in June and August.
“It’s horrible, you feel helpless”
When Karen Elrick’s Facebook account was hacked in December, scammers began impersonating her and posting messages offering Taylor Swift tickets for sale.
Several friends failed at the trick and transferred around £750 each, before discovering the adverts were not real and the tickets did not exist.
“I know at least three, but I think the police said four bought the tickets,” says the 38-year-old from Glasgow. “And I think as soon as the money goes through, they just get locked out of the Facebook account.”
Police have made little progress and Facebook has not deleted the account, despite multiple requests, he says.
Scammers regularly post similar messages, leaving them open for a day or so before deleting them so they will no longer be there if Facebook investigates.
“It’s horrible,” she says. “You feel very helpless because it’s your friends who are losing money. Obviously, they quickly realize that it’s not me who is stealing from them, but it’s not a nice feeling.
“It’s totally out of my control and there doesn’t seem to be anything anyone can help with. Nobody seems to be able to do anything.”
He adds: “If you see Taylor Swift posts on Facebook, it’s probably a scam.”
Lloyds said there were many more reports of ticket scams involving Swift than any other artist.
If other banks have similar figures, there are likely to have been at least 3,000 victims across the UK, he said.
