Scammers expected to headline around Glastonbury this summer

Criminals typically pose as a seller and post on social media or an online marketplace where there is little validation of identification needed. Once the bait has been taken, they'll tell you they’ll post or email the tickets once you’ve transferred the money to their bank account. When you try to contact them after nothing’s arrived, they’ve disappeared off the face of the earth.

David Callington, HSBC UK’s Head of Fraud said: “Scammers are devious criminals who are well versed in tuning in to these events to steal money from innocent consumers looking for tickets at a bargain price. But, if someone tries to buy a ticket from an unofficial source, there’s a good chance they will lose their money. ‘Purchase Scams’ - where people pay for goods or services which turn out to be fake – are on the rise, with scammers preferring to scam more people with lower value scams than specifically targeting victims for higher value frauds.

“We have expert teams working around the clock to identify suspicious transactions, but people can also help protect themselves by taking note of fraud warnings when making payments, and keeping up to date with the latest scam warnings which are highlighted on our latest phishing and social media scams web page or through our Fraud and Cyber Awareness app (on both Android and iOS).”

Remember to:

• buy tickets only from the venue’s box office, official sellers or reputable fan sites
• don’t click on social media, text or email links or attachments offering tickets, as they could link to fraudulent or malware sites
• avoid paying for tickets via bank transfer
• check sellers’ privacy and returns policies
• keep receipts until after the event

HSBC UK has teamed up again with professional magician Troy von Scheibner to highlight some of the tricks scammers will play on unsuspecting consumers. For an insight into the mind of tricksters, visit our Purchase Scams page on our website’s Fraud and Security Centre. The videos are also available to watch on YouTube.

Media enquiries to:

Steve Gracey - steve.gracey@hsbc.com / 020 7991 4118
Email: UKPressOffice@hsbc.co.uk

Notes to Editors
Over the last year, purchase scams have been on the increase. Recent scam data from HSBC UK has shown the average purchase scam carried out between July and September is £894, with the average value per case increasing to over £900 in September. The three-month period between July and September saw the most purchase scams reported so far this year.

HSBC UK
HSBC UK serves over 14.75 million customers across the UK, supported by 24,000 colleagues. HSBC UK offers a complete range of retail banking and wealth management to personal and private banking customers, as well as commercial banking for small to medium businesses and large corporates. HSBC UK is a ring fenced bank and wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc.

HSBC Holdings plc
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of HSBC, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 62 countries and territories. With assets of $3,021bn at 30 September 2023, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.