A major UK bank has issued a warning for anyone attending festivals this summer. Barclays has shared advice for customers, explaining that major events are often targeted by criminals.
Barclays Warning for Festivalgoers
Posting on Facebook, Barclays urged music lovers to be careful when booking tickets. The warning said: "Festival season brings out the fun, the fashion and, unfortunately, the scammers. One in three Gen Z consumers have encountered a ticket scam in the last three years, which is triple the national average."
Thankfully, there are steps that customers can take to help protect themselves from fraudsters. Barclays explained: "When you’re buying tickets, you can protect yourself by only buying tickets from official ticket sellers and trusted resale platforms, paying using secure methods recommended by the seller, and avoiding paying for tickets via bank transfer if you don't know the seller personally."
Red Flags to Watch For
The post included a video highlighting red flags to watch for. The bank said: "Look out for prices that are lower than ticket value." People should also be cautious if a seller is "unable to verify tickets are real" or asks for "payment that doesn't match the platform." The bank added that customers should look out for someone selling tickets from "freshly made profiles on social media."
Additional Guidance
Customers can find more information about common scams on the Barclays website. The guidance says: "Scammers often copy well-known brands. If you see an advert on social media that looks too good to be true, go directly to the company’s official website by typing it into your browser to see if the offer is genuine."
According to the guidance, people should also "be suspicious." Barclays explained: "Think twice if someone asks you to use a payment method you weren’t expecting. For example, if you’d usually pay by card or from a digital wallet, but someone asks you to pay by bank transfer – it could be a scam."
Other common scams include impersonation scams and invoice scams. In these instances, criminals could pretend to be someone you know or trust, or send fake invoices to get money.
What to Do If Scammed
Contact your bank immediately if you have lost any money or spot an unauthorised transaction. If you think you’ve been scammed, call your bank, stop all contact with the scammer, report the fraud to Action Fraud, and change compromised passwords. Secure your devices, check bank statements for further issues, and report suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
