Oasis fans have already lost £2m to ticket scams, major bank warns (2025)

Scammers are preying on eager fans scrambling to get hold of tickets to Oasis's long-awaited reunion tour this July, a major bank warns.

Britons attempting to snap up tickets have alreadycollectively lost more than £2million to scammers, new estimates from Lloyds bank show.

The estimate comes from Lloyds analysis of its own customers scam reports, which shows there have been more than 1,000 reports since the sold out tour was announced last summer.

Oasis fans make up over half of all reported concert ticket scams, losing £436 on average.

The highestamount lost to an Oasis concert ticket scam was £1,700 in one case.

Based on its share of banking customers, the bank estimates that across the UK there are likely to have been at least 5,000 victims since tickets went on sale, with over £2million lost to fraudsters.

When the notoriously hard to come by tour tickets went on sale last year, the price of a standing ticket started from £135. It's likely many were willing to risk it and pay well over face value to see the band perform live.

Those aged 35 to 44 years-old are most likely to have been targeted by scammers, making up almost a third of all cases.

Edinburgh, Warrington and Manchester have the highest numbers of victims of the scam.

Now Lloyds is warning Oasis fans desperately trying to find a way to get tickets that scammers will be gearing up for a second waveof attacks as the tour date approaches in July.

How do Oasis ticket scams happen?

Concert ticket scams are an example of purchase scams, where a person is tricked into sending money via bank transfer to buy goods or services that don't exist.

Ticket scams usually involve fake adverts posts or listings on social media sites. The posts will often offer tickets at discounted prices, or access to events which have already sold out at higher prices.

Victims usually communicate with the scammer over messaging and are asked to pay up front for the ticket. After the payment has been made, the scammers go cold and stop communicating with the person trying to buy the ticket.

Concert ticket scams often happen in two waves - the first when concert tickets go on sale and the second as the concert date gets nearer.

Scammers pray on the desperation of fans who willing to pay more in the hope of finding a ticket by pretending to have tickets available.

Where do the scams originate?

Social media is a massive problem in enabling ticket scams and purchase scams more widely.

Lloyds reported that 90 per cent of scam cases start with fake adverts, posts or listings on Meta-owned platforms, with the vast majority of these on Facebook.

Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds said: 'The fact that so many cases start with fake listings on social media, often in violation of the platforms’ own rules, underscores the importance of these companies taking stronger action to tackle scams.'

Many unofficial groups have been set up on social media sites, some with tens of thousands of members for the purpose of buying and selling tickets for the tour.

How to spot a fake ticket listing

Even if you think you've found a legitimate ticket, being asked to pay for anything over bank transfer should be an instant red flag.

Zielger says: 'If you’re asked to pay via bank transfer, particularly by a seller you’ve found on social media, that should immediately set alarm bells ringing.'

As the age old adage goes, if it looks to good to be true it probably is. So scrutinise deals that look too good to be true - if a ticket is being sold at an unusually low price or for a sold out event that should be a red flag.

Be wary of buying on social media or social media marketplaces. Fraudsters can easily make fake ads and posts for a listing.

If you are purchasing a ticket, make sure to use your debit or credit card when paying or Paypal, which is a safer than a bank transfer if you select the 'goods and services' option when paying.