Police Scotland has encouraged the public to be vigilant when purchasing tickets for sports and entertainment events, following a significant number of reports of fraudulent ticket sales over the last nine months.
Between January and September this year, there were 313 reported incidents of frauds across Scotland involving the online sale of tickets for major events – roughly 6% of all cyber fraud incidents in the country.
Some 60% of these related to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which featured three nights at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium. The rest were connected with sporting events.
Taylor Swift broke the all-time attendance record for a stadium show in Scotland three times in a row. In total, Swift performed for 220,000 fans during the three consecutive concerts, an average of almost 73,000 a night after Edinburgh Council granted permission to increase Murrayfield’s capacity.
The majority of ticket scams took place on social media and online marketplace platforms. Additionally, the figures suggested that women between the ages of 18 and 24 are most at risk from this type of fraud.
“We’ve noticed a trend in this type of crime reported around major events happening in Scotland. The figures represent a significant proportion of cybercrime, but we believe these types of incidents are underreported and the true figure will be much higher,” said Inspector Alasdair Penny, Cybercrime Harm Prevention.
“Reports relating to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour have made up the majority and we’re aware there are a number of highly anticipated events next year, including the Oasis tour and TRNSMT.
“We have publicly raised the threat of cyber criminality and the increase in online offending and have put plans in place to address it. The Chief Constable unveiled a new vision for Police Scotland, including a commitment to establish a new Cyber Command and increase our capabilities to tackle online fraud.
“We want to make sure the public is aware of potential fraudulent sales and provide advice around how to spot it.”
Penny added: “Our message is: be vigilant. If a price or offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
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