Taylor Swift fans are losing the equivalent of thousands of pounds to fake ticket scams that are taking advantage of the singer’s ongoing Eras Tour.
The Shake It Off songstress is currently on an international arena tour which has broken box office records and has been hailed for propping up local economies.
However, recent reports suggest that Swifities in Ottowa, Canada have lost upwards of $2,000 (£1,559.92).
According to The Canadian Press and CityNews Ottowa, the Canadian capital city’s police department has witnessed a hike in reports of fake ticket sales.
These have been believed purchases of tickets for Taylor Swift’s sold-out appearance in Toronto that are now being investigated as scams.
The OPS Fraud Investigation Unit reports that Swift fans have been targeted on social media sites and resale websites, such as Facebook Marketplace.
As a result of this, fans of the Anti-Hero singer are reportedly losing out on up to $2,000 (£1,559.92), according to the OPS.
Based on the police’s investigation, scammers have taken around $12,000 (£9,551.52) of peoples’ hard-earned cash.
This elaborate example of fraud has taken place within the last week as Swifites have rushed to get tickets.
Ahead of future concerts, the police are reminding anyone looking for tickets to meet with prospective sellers before parting with any money.
Investigators are sharing how they are seeing a trend of people buying goods online from anonymous sellers and not receiving anything in return.
Constable Shaun Wahbeh from the OPS Fraud Unit shared what Swifties should be doing when attempting to buy tickets for The Eras Tour online.
The police officer explained: “This really is a buyer-beware situation, and residents need to be smart about how they shop online.”
Paul Fabara, Visa’s chief risk officer spoke with CNBC about what consumers should be alert to when it comes to scams.
Mr Fabara added: “A lot of it is related with the consumer trusting too much and not paying attention to what they’re clicking or saying yes to.
“We have the opportunity to see what exactly is happening across the entire payment ecosystem.
“That is where they strike big. Consumers feel that urgency a few hours before the concert.”
