Gig-goers urged to Stop! Think Fraud before buying tickets

• Music fans lost £150 million in the last year according to new polling by O2.
• 18- to 24-year-olds at the highest risk of becoming victims of ticket scams.
• Government and O2 team up to urge people to Stop! Think Fraud  before buying resale tickets ahead of big tours from Ariana Grande, The Weeknd and Bon Jovi this summer.

As festival season continues and ahead of huge tours from Ariana Grande, The Weeknd and Bon Jovi, gig-goers are advised to take caution over last-minute tickets for sale on social media.

The government and O2 have teamed up to urge the public to Stop! Think Fraud and to always use official ticketing websites.

This comes as new research by O2 reveals the amount lost to ticket fraud in the last year reached £150 million.

Ticket fraud occurs when you buy tickets from a website or social media platform, but the tickets either don’t arrive or turn out to be fake.

The data shows that more than one in ten (14%) gig-goers surveyed have bought a fake ticket with over three quarters (77%) of the tickets bought via online platforms.

The polling found that no age group was immune to these scams, but those aged 18 to 24 faced the highest risk with 31% been sold a fake ticket compared to the lowest of 4% of those aged 55+.

The government delivered £250 million of investment to crackdown on fraud and protect the public earlier this year, as part of a new Fraud strategy It established a new Online Crime Centre to bring together police and industry to disrupt scams at source and boost support for victims.

As part of this national intervention, the Stop! Think Fraud campaign aims to make it easier for the public to recognise fraud and take steps to protect themselves, their family and friends.

O2, which sponsors 21 venues across the UK and sold more than 1.7 million tickets via Priority Tickets last year, has campaigned alongside FanFair Alliance since 2017 for a fairer and more transparent ticketing market.

Last year, O2 launched Stamp It Tout, an online hub designed to help music fans navigate the resale market safely and avoid being ripped off by ticket touts and scammers.

The government remains fully committed to stamping out ticket touting for good. For too long, fans have been ripped off and we’re determined to right that wrong.

Plans have been announced to make it illegal for tickets to live events to be resold for more than their original cost, which will eliminate the scourge of industrial-scale ticket touting.

The government is taking the time to get this right by bringing forward draft legislation to ensure that our measures are truly effective, enforceable and future-proof and fans get the protection and security they have always deserved.

Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said:

“Fraud is an absolutely shameful crime, and this data shows that anyone can be a victim.

“Scammers exploit our excitement and desperation to see our favourite artists live. They post fake messages on social media seeking to catch fans when their guard is down in a last-minute rush for tickets.

“I urge everyone to Stop! Think Fraud before buying tickets – let’s not let scammers get in the way of enjoying concerts this summer.”

Director, Partnerships and Sponsorship at Virgin Media O2, Gareth Griffiths, said: 

“Ticketing scams are a blight on the UK’s live music industry, and it’s heartbreaking to see so many fans being targeted. Seeing your favourite artist live should be an exciting experience, not one that leaves you out of pocket or turned away at the door. That’s why O2 is encouraging fans to stay vigilant, buy tickets only from official authorised services and use capped fan-to-fan resale platforms when a show is sold out.”

There are steps the public can take to keep themselves safe from ticket fraud:

1. If you’re offered tickets for something in high demand don’t let the fear of missing out rush your decision. Take a moment to stop, think, and check if the offer is genuine.
2. Only buy tickets from an official ticketing website. Artists will always link to official ticket sellers in posts on their social media and official websites.
3. Never move away from an official payment platform to make a direct payment via bank transfer or virtual currency. Use the site’s recommended payment methods to stay protected.
4. Remember buying second hand tickets comes with risks and while some platforms may offer a refund for ticket scams, they cannot guarantee entry to a show.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2000 natrep UK. The data was collected between 23.06.2026 – 29.06.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

Figure calculated as follows (all data from the survey):

75.55% of UK adults are music fans.

Of those music fans, 70.09% have bought a ticket to a music concert. So approximately 52.95% of UK adults have ever bought a ticket to a music concert.

Of those who have bought a concert ticket, 8.12% say they have been sold a fake ticket in the past year.

Therefore it’s 4.3% of UK pop or around 2.4 million UK adults have been sold a fake ticket to a music concert in the past year.

Applying the £75 median answer to this 4.3% of the UK population brings us to over £150 million.