UK football fans are being urged to stay alert against ticket scams as Lloyds Bank estimates over £2.5 million ($3.3 million) has been stolen by fraudsters nationwide since the start of the 2023/24 season.
According to Lloyds, customers reported more than 2,400 cases of football ticket fraud over the past two seasons, with losses exceeding £500,000. The bank warns these figures reflect only its own customers, suggesting the true number of victims could be at least 12,000, with total losses surpassing £2.5 million.
The UK government has joined Lloyds in the Stop! Think Fraud campaign, advising supporters to only purchase tickets from clubs, their official partners, or legitimate resale outlets. “None of us want to miss a big game, but that will feel ten times worse if you have also handed hundreds of pounds to a fraudster for a ticket you will never see,” said Lord Hanson, the UK’s Minister for Fraud.
Liverpool fans have been the most targeted, followed by Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City supporters. People aged 25–34 are the most common victims (28%), closely followed by those aged 18–24 (26%). Scammers typically lure victims with tickets for sold-out matches or discounted prices, request payment upfront, and vanish without delivering.
Liz Ziegler, Fraud Prevention Director at Lloyds, warns, “The best way to avoid ticket scams is to buy directly from clubs or their official partners and steer clear of deals that look too good to be true.”
Fans are advised to avoid direct payments to sellers, double-check the legitimacy of offers, and remain cautious when deals seem unusually attractive. Last year, Lloyds issued a similar warning after ticket fraud rose by a third compared to the previous season.
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