Lady Gaga may be stirring up controversy by tweeting that “pop stars don’t eat” but her fans now have even more to worry about.
Ticket marketplace viagogo predicts ticket fraudsters could make £3m from the upcoming Lady Gaga tour
With tickets to Lady Gaga’s tour going on sale today viagogo is estimating that fans could lose £3 million to ticket scams.
Brits are collectively conned out of £30 million* a year by illegitimate websites and auction sites, such as eBay who do not offer customers any guarantee that they will receive their tickets according to research by viagogo2.
viagogo, Europe’s largest online ticket marketplace, is anticipating that the 75,000 tickets for Gaga’s September Manchester and Twickenham dates will sell out in a matter of minutes and desperate fans may turn to illegitimate sites and other unknown sources in an attempt to get their hands on a ticket.
Edward Parkinson, Director of viagogo UK, said: “Lady Gaga is a global superstar and the rush for tickets will be fierce presenting the ideal opportunity for scam artists to take advantage of Gaga mania. Fans need to be extra vigilant when they see a site offering Lady Gaga tickets and should not judge a site by its appearance; they must do their homework before they buy.”
Just four hours after Lady Gaga announced her tour on Tuesday 10 April, viagogo found tickets to the concert already listed on eBay – despite not being available to the general public until the end of the week.
Parkinson continues: “Based on early site traffic, we predict that up to two million fans won’t get a ticket, presenting scammers with a very large payday opportunity.”