Concert ticket scams have soared by more than 500% over the last year, with those defrauded losing an average of £110, as criminals target fans of leading acts including Harry Styles and Lewis Capaldi. The UK’s live music industry has bounced back after the pandemic, but gig-goers have been warned to be on their guard against ticket scams, particularly as the festival season prepares to kick off. A record number of UK live entertainment tickets were sold in 2022, according to data from the mobile phone firm O2’s Priority platform, with sales up 43% on 2019, the year before the pandemic shut down the live events industry. However, as concerts and festivals returned after the lifting of Covid restrictions, ticket fraud has increased. Fraudsters are focusing their attention on purchase scams, which involve music fans being tricked into sending money via bank transfer to buy tickets that do not exist. Research by Lloyds Bank showed reported cases of people being scammed surged by 529% year on year between March 2022 and February 2023. Fans of artists including Harry Styles, Lewis Capaldi, Coldplay and Calvin Harris were most commonly targeted. The number of scams reported by those attempting to buy music festival tickets more than doubled, up 128% on the previous year. The most common festivals targeted included Reading and Leeds, Wireless in London’s Finsbury Park and Manchester’s Parklife. Scammers will target any major event where demand for tickets is likely to exceed supply, Lloyds said. There have also been increases in the number of scams related to comedy and theatre bookings, although the volume was smaller, the bank added. Liz Ziegler, the director of fraud prevention at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “Fraudsters are always changing their tactics to trick victims out of their hard-earned cash. With demand to attend live events soaring as the warmer weather approaches, they will waste no time in targeting music fans as they rush to pick up tickets for the most popular gigs and festivals.” Music fans are advised to only buy concert and festival tickets from trusted sellers, and take extra precautions when buying from third-party sellers. Consumers are being advised to avoid deals that look too good to be true – for example, very low prices or tickets for soldout events – and be cautious when buying tickets advertised on social media. Many experts say music fans should pay for tickets using a debit or credit card rather than via bank transfer, as this offers more protection if something goes wrong. The most popular events that either took place or went on sale in 2022, according to the data from O2 and Priority, included Peter Kay’s standup tour and concerts by The Weeknd, Sam Fender, Harry Styles and Bruce Springsteen.