Oasis and Taylor Swift Fans Lose Out to Scammers, TSB Data Reveals

TSB compared the 15 Taylor Swift UK shows in 2024, with 15 UK Oasis concerts this summer to uncover which led to the most losses for its customers.

TSB reveals^[1] that Oasis fans lost 107 percent more money to scammers than Taylor Swift fans. They were also significantly more likely to be scammed, having recorded 78 percent more cases than Swift fans.

Fraudsters made supersonic profits from Oasis fans, who lost an average of £318 – more than £240 above the starting ticket price. In comparison, some “Swifties” experienced a cruel summer losing £219 on average, around £108 more than face value. 

Most ticket scams start on social media

TSB warns fans to stay alert on social media platforms, as their customer data^[2] shows most ticket fraud cases stemmed from online platforms. Overall, Facebook accounted for two-thirds (66%) of cases, followed by X (19%), Instagram (5%), Snapchat (4%) and Tik Tok (4%).

Censuswide surveyed^[3] 2,000 adults for TSB, and found that almost three-fifths (58%) of concert-goers would risk buying a ticket from an unofficial source. Over a quarter (26%) said sold-out shows would be the main driver, and over 20% would consider unofficial routes, such as social media sites if tickets were cheaper than official pricing. 

Younger music fans are most likely to lose out to scammers

Over one-fifth (22%) of 16–34-year-olds said they had been scammed when buying event tickets – and over a third (35%) of the same age group know someone who has fallen victim.

Encouragingly, only a small proportion (2%) of over-55s reported being scammed when purchasing event tickets. And over four-fifths (82%) in this age group are unlikely to buy tickets on social media platforms in the first place, while seven-in-ten (70%) don’t trust concert ticket listings on these platforms at all. 

Of those scammed, just over two-fifths (41%) paid for a ticket that never arrived, while almost two-fifths (39%) actually arrived at the venue only to have the ticket rejected at the gate. Over one-third (35%) of people also lost money through a fake payment link or website, and one-fifth (20%) ended up paying more than originally agreed.

Richard Daniels, Director of Fraud Prevention at TSB, urged caution to those wanting to see their favourite acts: “Scammers are banking on the excitement of fans for any major concert or event – and preying on our desperation to see favourite acts.

“We recommend that fans stick to official ticketing platforms and be highly cautious of ticket sales on social media platforms.”