Oasis gig ticket scams prompt police warning

Police have issued a warning after people trying to buy Oasis gig tickets listed for sale on social media were targeted by scammers.

Leicestershire Police said it had received two reports of fraud from fans trying to get tickets for the Manchester band's hotly-anticipated reunion tour, which begins in the summer.

The force said two people had made reports of fraud after trying to buy Oasis tickets using Facebook Marketplace.

Meta, Facebook's parent company, has been asked for comment.

Detectives said they wanted to make music fans aware of scams ahead of summer events taking place across the UK.

They said one woman, from Uppingham in Rutland, lost "hundreds of pounds" trying to buy four Oasis tickets via Facebook Marketplace in January.

Police said she transferred payment into a bank account, in a different name to the seller, but never received the tickets.

Det Sgt Steve Wallage, from the force's economic crime unit, urged people to always use genuine, authorised exchange websites when searching online for tickets.

"In some - but not all cases, social media accounts are accessed and used as a frontage to list and offer tickets for sale," he said.

"The person responsible may utilise contacts and relationships from those accounts to sell tickets to friends of that account under the guise of being the genuine person."

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