Football fans are being urged to stay vigilant ahead of the upcoming season after a recent rise in ticket scams.
With the football league season all set to kick off once again in just a few weeks, those looking to grab tickets to watch their team in action are being warned by several banks to be on the look-out for potential fraudulent activity after what has been a worrying rise in ticket scams over the last few years.
Lloyds is one bank in particular that has carried an analysis of reported fraud cases among its own personal banking customers, and has said that the number of people being scammed when buying football tickets has seen a whopping 101% increase last season alone, compared with the season before.
Victims of such scams were reported to have sadly lost around £154 on average.
According to the bank’s data, many of the scams in question are believed to originate on social media – with football fans aged between 18 and 24 most likely to fall victim.
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Not only that, but the data also revealed that Manchester United fans were some of the most common victims last season – which is why fraud prevention experts at Lloyds are urging supporters to look at buying their tickets directly from the football clubs themselves, or their official ticket partners.
Banks issue urgent ticket scam warnings to football fans ahead of new season / Credit: Alex Motoc (via Unsplash)
But how are these scams being carried out? And what do football fans need to be aware of?
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Well, according to Lloyds, when it comes to major matches and significant events, tickets inevitably become more in-demand and therefore harder to come by – but this is where fraudsters know they can cash-in on desperate fans willing to pay over the odds.
So, they will create fake social media posts or head to online marketplaces to advertise tickets that just don’t exist – with such posts often reported to have pictures of real tickets on to convince the buyer they are genuine.
The victim is often tricked into sending money via bank transfer.
But unfortunately, once the money has been transferred, the fraudster proceeds to just disappear, and the victim receives nothing.
Featured Image – Piqsels
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How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
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Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
Emily Sergeant -
28th July 2023 
