With the brand new English Premier League season kicking off in simply two weeks’ time, soccer followers are being warned to concentrate on merciless fraudsters promoting pretend tickets as scam numbers surge.

New analysis by Lloyds Bank, based mostly on evaluation of reported fraud instances amongst its personal private banking prospects, discovered that the variety of folks being scammed when shopping for soccer tickets greater than doubled (up 101 %) final season in comparison with the season earlier than, with victims dropping £154 on common.

Lloyds Bank mentioned some victims had even misplaced “thousands” of kilos to the fraudsters, who largely take to social media to shift their counterfeit tickets.

More than 90 % of soccer ticket scams reported final season have been mentioned to have began on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and people aged between 18 and 24 years outdated have been almost definitely to get caught out.

Football ticket scams to be careful for

When tickets for large occasions are scarce or in excessive demand, fraudsters know they'll money in on determined followers prepared to pay rather more.

According to Lloyds Bank, they create pretend posts on social media or on-line marketplaces to promote tickets that don’t exist. It mentioned: “Often they will include pictures of real tickets to convince the unsuspecting buyer that they are genuine.”

The sufferer is tricked into sending cash through financial institution switch. But what many could also be unaware of is that financial institution transfers weren't designed as a manner of paying for issues on-line and supply little safety if one thing goes incorrect.

Unsurprisingly, it’s followers of a number of the largest golf equipment in England – the place demand for tickets is strongest – who're almost definitely to be focused.

The Lloyds Bank assertion reads: “Supporters of Liverpool and Manchester United fell victim most often last season, along with Arsenal and Chelsea fans. Tickets for international matches and major cup finals are also falsely advertised on a regular basis.”

Once the cash has been transferred, the fraudster disappears and the sufferer receives nothing in return.

Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Bank, commented: “It’s easy to let our emotions get the better of us when following our favourite football team, but when it comes to buying tickets for matchday, it’s important fans keep a clear head.

“The vast majority of ticket scams start on Twitter and Facebook, where it’s far too easy for criminals to set up fake profiles and advertise items for sale that simply don’t exist. Social media companies must do more to tackle this issue given the vast majority of fraud starts on their platforms.”

Ms Ziegler mentioned that purchasing straight from soccer golf equipment or their official ticket companions is the “only way” for folks to ensure they’re paying for an actual ticket.

She added: “Always use your debit or credit card for maximum safety. If you’re not doing those two things, there’s a big chance you’re going to get scammed.”