HSBC Issues Urgent Warning to Customers Against Common Scams Involving Ticket Fraud

HSBC has sent out an urgent message to millions of customers about scams. The banking giant wants households to take steps to avoid falling victim to common scams.

The latest message centers around buying tickets to gigs and sporting events online, which often leads to people falling for scams. Ticket buyers are reminded to be vigilant if they are considering purchasing tickets on social media or online marketplaces.

HSBC said thousands of people end up falling for this scam and losing large sums of money. The bank said buyers should generally avoid purchasing tickets from anyone other than official sellers, box offices, or reputable fan seller websites.

In a message to customers, HSBC said: "Avoid buying gig, festival or sports tickets from anyone apart from official vendors, the box office or reputable fan seller sites. If you do, you could be a victim of fraud.

"Criminals typically pose as a seller and post on social media or an online marketplace. They'll tell you they’ll post or email the tickets once you’ve transferred the money to their bank account.

"But when you try to contact them after nothing’s arrived, they’ve disappeared off the face of the earth. This happens to thousands of music, sports and other fans every year who get tricked into buying fake or non-existent tickets."

HSBC Reminds Customers

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

(Source: Birmingham Live)