Thousands of Taylor Swift fans hoping to attend the superstar’s summer shows have been scammed.
Fraudsters claiming to offer tickets to the star’s UK concerts have cost punters more than $1.24 million (£1 million), bank chiefs estimate.
Reported by the Daily Mail, bosses at Lloyds Bank have revealed that more than 600 of their own customers have been left angry, disappointed and out of pocket.
And they claim that once other lenders are taken into account, the true number is likely to run to more than 3,000.
“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,” advised Liz Ziegler, the bank’s fraud prevention chief.
“But it’s important not to let those feelings cloud our judgment.”
Lloyds said the average amount lost by each victim was $413 (£332), although for some it was more than $1245 (£1,000).
Its research found fans aged 25 to 34 were most likely to be targeted, with many scams originating on social media.
Lloyds said it was looking more broadly at concert ticket fraud after fans of artists such as Coldplay, Beyoncé and Harry Styles were among those targeted last year.
Ticket scams often involve fake adverts, posts or listings on social media, offering tickets or access to sold-out events.
Victims are asked to pay up front for the tickets, but once this is done, the scammers disappear.
The Eras Tour is Swift’s ongoing sixth concert tour.
It consists of 152 shows across five continents.
