Buyers Scammed and Blocked – The Dark Side of Social Ticket Resales

Music fans are warning others not to buy tickets for sold-out Bank Holiday events from social media resellers, after several people were scammed out of their money.

In one case, two friends each paid £90 via bank transfer for tickets to a party at Thorpe Park, advertised on X (formerly Twitter) on the day of the event. Neither received their tickets, and both were subsequently blocked by the sellers.

Another individual paid £60 for two tickets to an RnB event in London over the last Bank Holiday weekend—only to find they’d also been blocked after transferring the money.

The UK’s national fraud reporting service, Action Fraud, and consumer group Which? have both issued warnings, saying fraudsters are increasingly capitalising on high demand for tickets around Bank Holidays to deceive people out of their cash. The BBC has contacted X for comment.

One 22-year-old explained how she found what seemed to be a legitimate offer for the 1Way X Aura event at Thorpe Park on 15 March. The seller, who had a seemingly trustworthy social media profile, sent screenshots to build trust and requested payment to a third-party account. After the money was sent, communication became evasive, and the buyers were eventually blocked.

While one of the two payments (£90) was recovered through Monzo, the other—sent via Revolut—could not be refunded.

Another victim of fraud, also 22, shared that she had asked for verification before paying £60 for two tickets to an RnB night. After being sent a screenshot as proof, she went ahead with the transfer. The seller initially responded with delays, then blocked her account entirely. In this case, Barclays later refunded the payment.

The founder of the RnB event confirmed he had received multiple reports of scams targeting potential attendees. He urged people to be cautious: “If you’re not sure, probably don’t buy the tickets. I know people want to come and enjoy themselves, but I’d rather hold onto my money than risk being scammed.”

Rob Lilley-Jones, consumer expert at Which?, said: “Ticketing scams are really common, especially around summer and Bank Holidays when demand for gigs and events peaks.”

Claire Webb, acting director of Action Fraud, warned: “With £9.7 million lost to ticket fraud last year, we’re urging people looking for last-minute deals to stay alert. Be cautious of anyone selling tickets to popular or sold-out events on social media or unfamiliar platforms.”