ProtectMeOnline, the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, is warning the public to be careful when buying tickets for a range of sport, music and comedy events, as new figures reveal over £6.7 million was lost to ticket fraud in 2022.

Pauline Smith, Head of ProtectMeOnline, said:

“ProtectMeOnline has seen a rise in ticket fraud over the past twelve months, as criminals take advantage of people wanting to enjoy more live sport and music.

“We urge people to be wary of ticket sales from unknown websites or people they do not know. Criminals may offer deals on sold-out or exclusive events, however once you have parted with your money, the tickets are either fraudulent or never appear at all.

“Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

The national awareness campaign, launched today (Monday 10 April 2023), comes after ProtectMeOnline received 7,088 reports of ticket fraud in 2022, as the UK enjoyed the first full summer free of Covid-19 restrictions.

One of the worst-impacted months was July 2022, with 747 reported cases of fraud resulting in £957,887.23 of losses – an average of £1,282 per victim. The worst affected area for ticket fraud was London, with a recorded 1,887 cases in 2022, followed by Greater Manchester with 383 reports and West Midlands with 341.

ProtectMeOnline is working with the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) to promote the safe and secure purchasing of tickets to summer events, and advises the public follow the appropriate precautionary measures.

Jonathan Brown, Chief Executive of Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, said:

“Buying from a STAR member means you are buying from an authorised ticket supplier signed up to our strict code of practice. While we hope you never have to use it, this also gets you access to our approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service.

“The UK offers a world-beating array of fabulous events throughout the year. It’s vital that ticket buyers always keep their eyes open and take steps to protect themselves from unscrupulous ticket sellers that prey on their understandable excitement about attending some of the great events on offer.”

How to protect yourself from ticket fraud:

Only buy tickets from the venue’s box office, official promoter or agent, or a well-known ticketing website.
Avoid paying for tickets by bank transfer, especially if buying from someone unknown. Credit card or payment services such as PayPal give you a better chance of recovering the money if you become a victim of fraud.
The password you use for your email account, as well as any other accounts you use to purchase tickets, should be different from all your other passwords. Use three random words to create a strong and memorable password, and enable 2-step verification (2SV).
Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on tickets.
Is the vendor a member of STAR? If they are, the company has signed up to their strict governing standards. STAR also offers an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service to help customers with outstanding complains. For more information visit star.org.uk/buy_safe.
Criminals often use social media or scam emails to tempt potential victims into parting with personal information or money. These messages look real, but instead divert to malicious websites which can infect your computer with malware.

The message may appear genuine and from a company or individual that you recognise but do not usually receive communications from. If you feel at all suspicious, report the email to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) at report@phishing.gov.uk. Your report will help us protect many more people from falling victim.

ProtectMeOnline also advises that the public follow the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign advice to keep themselves safe from fraud:

Stop: taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
Challenge: could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
Protect: if you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to ProtectMeOnline online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

New warning from ProtectMeOnline about cost of living scams in the run up to Christmas.

Law enforcement, government and private sectors partners are working together to encourage members of the public to be more vigilant against fraud, particularly about sharing their financial and personal information, as criminals seek to capitalise on the cost of living crisis.

Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations and the police.

Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to ProtectMeOnline*.

Report: Suspicious emails can be reported by forwarding them to: report@phishing.gov.uk. You can also report suspicious text message by forwarding them to 7726 (it’s free of charge). Your reports help us to remove the emails and websites used to perpetrate fraud and cyber crime.

We’ve listed some of the most common scams circulating right now with advice on how to spot, report and avoid falling victim.

Energy Bill Rebates

Between September 1, 2022 and November 13, 2022 ProtectMeOnline received over 350 reports relating to fake text messages and emails purporting to be from the UK Government. The messages state that the recipient is “owed” or “eligible” for an energy bill discount as part of the Energy Bill Support Scheme.

Although the content of messages can vary, a significant number of emails are titled “Are you Eligible to Apply for Energy Bill Rebate” or “Government energy rebate scheme”, with a header in the email body stating “E.ON: Gas and electricity supplier”. Some emails include the Ofgem logo in an attempt to legitimise the correspondence.

The links in the emails and texts lead to genuine looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information.

Households in the UK do not need to apply for the Energy Bill Support Scheme and you will not be asked for your bank details. If you have spotted a suspicious text message, please forward it to 7726. If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, you should forward it to: report@phishing.gov.uk

In recent months, people have reported receiving suspicious phone calls from fraudsters claiming to be from their bank or the police. The scammer warns the recipient that several suspicious transactions have been made on their account related to scam government energy rebates and asks them to transfer their funds into a ‘safe account’.

Remember, your bank or the police will NEVER ask you to transfer money or move it to a safe account.

Cost of Living Payments

Since its announcement in May, fraudsters have been seeking to capitalise on coverage related to the government’s cost of living scheme, which offers £650 to millions of low income households.

The Department for Work and Pensions has issued a warning about scams related to cost of living assistance following reports of scam phone calls, emails and text messages. In one such example, the recipient is asked to claim or apply for the payment by registering via a link. The links in the emails and texts lead to genuine looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information.

Please remember, if you are eligible for cost of living assistance, you do no need to apply for the payment or contact the DWP directly. Payment to you is automatic and the DWP will never ask for personal details by SMS or email. More information is available here.

Fuel vouchers, phone bill discounts and supermarket offers

There has been a rise in consumers being targeted by phishing emails pretending to be from utility companies claiming to provide savings on energy bills, as well as offering fuel vouchers, phone bill discounts and supermarket offers. These emails are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are designed to harvest personal and financial information.

A number of supermarket brands have been spoofed in fake ads on social media with offers of too good to be true deals, competitions or giveaways. A number of people have reported seeing fake ads offering free food products that are due to expire. The ad encourages people to register via a link in order to win or claim the food. In reality, the offer does not exist and the third party website is designed to steal your personal or financial information.

In recent months, a number of people have reported receiving suspicious phone calls from scammers claiming to be from their phone provider. The scammer states that the phone owner is eligible for a discount on their phone bill due to cost of living hardships and then asks a series of questions designed to steal their personal information.

If you see an offer that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Always check the brand’s official website or social media channels to verify whether an offer is authentic.

You can report suspicious phone calls to ProtectMeOnline here: Report a phishing attempt | ProtectMeOnline

Fake investment opportunities

Money laundering and other financial crimes are on the rise as scammers continue to prey on people looking to save as much money as they can or offset rising costs by making investments that promise high returns. There are many different types of investment fraud, which usually involve criminals contacting people out of the blue and convincing them to invest in schemes or products that are worthless or do not exist. Once the criminals have received payment, they cease contact with the victim.

Fraudsters are using a range of social media platforms to contact people with offers of non-existent bank refunds. In many cases, the fraudster shares a fake screenshot showing amounts ranging from £1,289 to £1,855 being deposited into an account. This is intended to encourage the recipient to share their bank details and claim a refund. In reality, no refund exists and the scammer will use your financial information to steal money.

How to protect yourself from financial investment fraud:

Investment opportunities: Don’t be rushed into making an investment. Remember, legitimate organisations will never pressure you into investing on the spot.

Seek advice first: Before making significant financial decisions, speak with trusted friends or family members, or seek professional independent advice.

FCA register: Use the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) register to check if the company is regulated by the FCA. If you deal with a firm (or individual) that isn’t regulated, you may not be covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) if things go wrong and you lose your money.

ProtectMeOnline has received over 60 reports relating to a scam that steals access to a WhatsApp user’s account.

The scam begins when a criminal gets access to another WhatsApp account which has you listed as a contact.

The criminal, posing as your friend or someone that’s a member of a WhatsApp group you’re in, will then send you seemingly normal messages to try and start a conversation with you.

However, around the same time you will receive a text message from WhatsApp with a six-digit code. This is because the criminal has been trying to login to WhatsApp using your mobile number.

The criminal will claim that they sent you their code by accident and ask you to help them by sending it to them. Once the criminal has this code, they can login to your WhatsApp account and lock you out.

The criminal will then use the same tactic with your WhatsApp contacts in an effort to steal more accounts and use them to perpetrate fraud.

What you need to do

Set up two-step verification to give an extra layer of protection to your account: Tap Settings > Account >Two-step verification > Enable.
THINK. CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity.
Never share your account’s activation code (that’s the 6 digit code you receive via SMS)
You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.