A third of sports ticket scam losses this year so far, totalling £80,491, was lost by fans aged 19 to 34, Santander said(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

The beautiful game turns ugly as scammers target young football fans

Football fans were hit hardest, with over half of the losses amounting to £127,544, while motorsport enthusiasts faced the biggest average loss at £3,851 per scam. Golf fans weren't spared either, typically losing £860

by · The Mirror

Some £243,000 has been conned out of sports fans in ticket scams from January to September this year, Santander's data reveals.

A significant amount, £80,491, was taken from 19 to 34-year olds, who represent a third of the total losses and a 84% of all cases by volume. Criminals may send fake tickets tickets, or sell seats that simply don't exist, often using social media or fake websites to hook their victims, the bank warns.

Football fans were hit hardest, with over half of the losses amounting to £127,544, while motorsport enthusiasts faced the biggest average loss at £3,851 per scam. Golf fans weren't spared either, typically losing £860.

The average loss per sports ticket scam has risen to £352 this year, up from £225 in 2023, according to Santander. Chris Ainsley, head of fraud risk management at Santander said: "Scammers know how to exploit the excitement around big games. Don’t let them score at your expense. A quick check could be the difference between cheering in the stands or being left on the bench, out of pocket and out of luck."

Here are some tips from Santander to avoid ticket scams:

1. Buy tickets from trustworthy official sellers and websites.

2. If tickets are sold out, do not allow the excitement of the moment to push you into buying from a non-legitimate source.

3. Avoid paying by bank transfer or PayPal friends and family if you are buying a resale ticket from someone other than official sellers or websites.

4. Make sure the website you are buying from is secure. When buying online, check the payment pages by looking for the padlock symbol in the address bar. The website should start with “https”.

5. Fraudsters may offer tickets to popular events that have sold out or ask for a lower price than expected. Do not forget that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.