Never Buy Tickets on Social Media—It’s Nearly Always a Scam

No matter how desperate you are to get some Taylor Swift tickets, do not buy them on social media sites. Even if the seller appears genuine, it’s more than likely that you are about to lose your money and have no recourse.

Live entertainment is a huge industry. There’s a reason why so many bands seem to tour endlessly—it’s a big moneymaker. That also makes it a prime target for scammers. They know how desperate you are to get your hands on a ticket for that gig, comedy show, ballet, or whatever it might be.

This means that adverts and posts pop up on social media services like Facebook Marketplace, X (Twitter), and Discord, all purporting to have tickets for sale. It may even take place in groups that pretend to be “official”. These sellers might claim to have accidentally bought excess tickets or that they’ve fallen ill and can no longer attend.

Whatever the case, it’s almost certainly a scam. It’s especially prevalent for events which have sold out and are in hot demand.

The seller’s account may appear to be a real person, but this is no indicator of trustworthiness—scammers constantly hijack accounts (so secure yours with 2FA) or spin up fake ones.

When you hand over the money, the seller will either vanish or send you a fake ticket. The latter is particularly evil, since you could turn up to the event and only find out you have a fake when you are denied entry.

This is a real problem. When analyzing ticket scams reported by its customers, Lloyds Banking Group found that 90% of the incidents originated on social media.

Many of these listings and posts pop up when the tickets go on sale, with scammers hoping that you miss out on tickets and turn to social media in a panic, or when the event is nearing. But it can happen at any time.

Take the screenshot below, which shows three separate profiles on X (Twitter) all saying the same thing. This is just the tip of the iceberg because posts like these flood social media every second. Don’t let “real” pictures, bios, or other interactions on their profile sway you.

Other signs of a seller trying to con you include offering tickets which are notoriously hard to come by, pricing them oddly cheaply, or pushing you to make a quick payment. Even if they send you a screenshot or photo of the supposed ticket or proof of purchase, it isn’t real—these are easy to Photoshop.

The most important piece of advice is this: never buy tickets on social media.

Even if you believe the seller isn’t a scammer, it isn’t worth the risk. Social media sites do not offer any buyer protection, so they won’t help you if things go wrong; this applies to any sale, but it’s especially crucial to be aware of that for high-value purchases like tickets.

If you do fall victim and you paid through your bank, speak to them. Depending on your country’s consumer protection laws, you may be able to recoup some funds. Your bank may also offer its own dispute scheme.

You should only ever buy tickets directly through official sources, like the venue or established services like Ticketmaster. Don’t turn blindly to any old resale website, either. Some artists and venues work with specific resale websites and will void tickets listed elsewhere, so check the venue’s event page for information—it means that even if the show is sold out, you can safely buy a real ticket.

This is just one of the many scams that occur on social media, so take steps to protect yourself online, like being mindful of the personal information you share and not clicking on suspicious links.