Die-hard Oasis fans are already nervous about securing tickets for their idols when they go on sale this Saturday, fearing sky high prices and, even worse, the prospect of being locked out of the running altogether.
Before the bidding war begins, Express.co.uk have enlisted an expert to give his top tips on how to avoid falling prey to fraudsters during the purchase process. Following the 8am announcement of 14 new Oasis shows in the likes of London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin next summer, Fraud and Security Specialist Dan McLoughlin of Lynx Tech has shared his views.
With fans fearing that tickets will be at least £100 but possibly up to £750, Dan cautions that buyers should remain realistic. “If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he warns.
“If a seller is offering a large discount that you wouldn’t see on a reputable site, it could be a scam.” He also advises buyers to look especially carefully at website URLs before clicking over to pages to spend hard-earned cash. (Check the list of correct ticket vendor addresses here.)
“Scammers create fake websites that look genuine, often using similar names or URLs to legitimate sites,” he warns. “You can check for subtle changes in the website URL that might indicate fraud.”
Another huge no-no involves sending money for tickets by bank transfer, as there is no payment protection should things go wrong.
That means fans could find themselves with no means of reversing the payment if the tickets don’t arrive, so Dan advises against it – “especially if buying tickets from someone unknown”.
Although seeing a “sold out” sign can trigger desperation in fans fearing they’ve burnt their bridges, Dan advises to slow down and not make any rash decisions.
He suggests that “going through the official site” is always the first source, but that if this is impossible, fans should be “extremely careful” if buying on social media.
While we’d all “only buy from trusted sources” in an ideal world, that can be difficult to achieve for those who find themselves a little too late.
In that case, Dan advises setting up a secure payment method that offers buyers their money back if there’s a glitch with the transaction.
According to Barclays insights, the ticket scamming industry sets victims back a pain-inducing £248 each on average.
Though it’s likely that soaring ticket prices could put “desperate Oasis fans in a vulnerable position” which fraudsters won’t hesitate to capitalise on.
However, by taking the right precautions, you can avoid losing out financially to a scammer during the race to Wembley Arena or Heaton Park.