Hundreds of Oasis fans have been defrauded while trying to secure tickets for the band’s highly anticipated reunion tour, falling prey to scams that have left many “looking back in anger.” UK lender Lloyds Banking Group reported that fans, on average, lost £346 ($449) to ticket scams, with some losses reaching as high as £1,000 ($1,298). This news followed the band’s announcement in August of a comeback tour, their first since 2009, and revealed the scale of fraud affecting eager fans ahead of the shows set for next year.
According to Lloyds, more than 90% of these scams began with social media advertisements, with most originating from Facebook. In response, a Meta spokesperson shared with CNN that Facebook’s parent company is “continually investing in protections against fraud.” The spokesperson highlighted that Meta recently launched a pilot program enabling UK banks to share data on ticket scams, aiming to improve protections. Meta also encourages users to report any scam-related activity so that the company can act swiftly.
Lloyds disclosed that Oasis fans represented about 70% of reported ticket scams from August 27 to September 25. The bank noted that scammers typically post fake ticket listings on social media, often offering either “discounted” tickets or tickets at inflated prices for already sold-out events. They then ask fans for payment via bank transfer, only to disappear with the money, leaving fans without tickets.
Fraud prevention director at Lloyds, Liz Ziegler, emphasized the dangers of buying tickets outside of authorized platforms, explaining that social media’s lack of regulation often leaves room for scammers to operate freely. Ziegler advised fans to stick to official sellers and avoid bank transfers to unverified accounts, as it is “the only way to guarantee” ticket authenticity.
Since Oasis, led by Noel and Liam Gallagher, announced the reunion tour, fans have been scrambling for tickets to see the 1990s Britpop icons. The tour is set to take place across the UK and Ireland next summer, with additional dates announced in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. However, many fans have expressed frustration over long waits and sky-high prices. Last month, concert promoters Live Nation and SJM took steps to counteract price gouging by canceling around 50,000 tickets for Oasis’s UK shows that were being resold on secondary markets at inflated prices.
During the tour’s initial ticket sale in August, Lloyds revealed that customers purchasing tickets through a major UK ticket platform spent an average of £563 ($731) per debit card transaction for Oasis’s concerts—exceeding the average of £342 ($444) spent on Taylor Swift’s UK tour tickets last year. This heightened demand reflects the intensity of Oasis’s fan base, yet it has also created an opportunity for fraudsters to exploit their eagerness.
