Even Oasis fans without tickets have been scammed, especially on Facebook

MUSIC – The bill is very steep, for everyone. Fans of the group Oasis had already been shocked by the sky-high prices reached by tickets for the group's surprise tour. They also have to deal with an increase in counterfeit banknote scams on social networks. A ” wave of scams » which is particularly rife on Facebook, warned the British bank Lloyds.

According to a press release from the bank reported by our colleagues at AFP, “ There have been hundreds of ticket fraud claims in the month since the reunion was announced, with Oasis fans accounting for around 70% of all concert ticket scams “. Lloyds bank specifies in its press release that “ scams often occur in two waves: first when tickets go on sale, then as the event date approaches », therefore putting fans of the group on notice.

At issue: fake ticket scams which attract fans of the group via false advertising leading to a fraudulent purchasing platform. Once the bank payment is made, no ticket is sent to the buyer, who has no choice but to report the fraud.

According to data collected by the bank, the people who are most often defrauded are between 35 and 44 years old. Victims lose on average 346 pounds (412 euros) for a counterfeit note, but the sum can reach 1000 pounds (1192 euros) in certain cases.

Liz Ziegler, the director of fraud prevention at Lloyds, specifies that counterfeit notes are sold illegally on different platforms and in particular Facebook (Meta), but that the proliferation of scams “ highlights the importance of these companies taking stronger action to combat scams ».

Everything is chaos

15 years after their thunderous separation backstage at the Rock en Seine festival in 2009, the “enemy brothers” of English rock announced at the end of August their reunion on stage for an event tour in 2025.

But after the euphoria, the fans quickly became disillusioned. The sale of tickets for the different dates of their tour proved chaotic for several reasons: bugs on purchasing platforms and endless virtual queues. But also the prices displayed. Initially announced at 130 pounds (around 155 euros) on Ticketmaster, some places were ultimately sold for 355 pounds (around 420 euros) due to the “dynamic pricing”. This system adjusts the price on the ticketing site according to demand: the stronger it is, the higher the price. A method which aroused the ire of fans but also questions. The British competition authority opened an investigation in September against Ticketmaster over this practice.

In addition, many tickets were also sold on unofficial resale sites. Tickets that the group's organization will gradually cancel, which concerns thousands of people, who will therefore find themselves without a place even though they thought they had succeeded in finding the precious ticket.

Oasis will perform a total of 17 concerts in the UK and Ireland, then cross the Atlantic. They will play in Toronto, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Mexico. Dates for which the group has requested that dynamic pricing not be used.

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