Fake ticket scams costing football fans millions

£2.5m stolen from supporters since last season as football scammers exploit ticket frenzy

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Football fans are being urged to watch out for ticket scams when buying match tickets for the new Premier League season, as a bank estimates that £2.5m has been lost in recent years.

Victims lost an average of £218 each last season, according to Lloyds.

More than 2,400 cases of football ticket fraud were reported by Lloyds customers over the past two seasons, with total losses topping £500,000.

The bank estimates that nationally there are likely to have been at least 12,000 victims since the start of the 2023/24 season, with more than £2.5m stolen by fraudsters.

Supporters of Liverpool are most likely to have been affected, followed by fans of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City, Lloyds' figures indicated.

Cases also involved fans of Celtic and Rangers, while Wrexham AFC also featured in the data.