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More than 12,000 football fans were scammed into paying £2.5 million for football tickets that don’t exist over a two year period. As the new season begins, the Home Office is warning supporters not to get fooled this year, with the new season about to begin. Victims lost an average of £218 each to fraudsters taking advantage of their passion for their club, according to Lloyds.

The bank says more than 2,400 cases of football ticket fraud were reported by its customers over the past two seasons, and based on this it estimates there were 12,000 victims in total since the start of the 2023/24 season. 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.

Scammers post fake adverts or listings on social media, offering tickets at discounted prices or for sold-out games. Victims are asked to pay upfront, often by bank transfer, but the tickets do not arrive and the fraudster disappears.

Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds, said: “It’s easy to get swept up in the buzz of a new season, but scammers are banking on that excitement.

“With demand for tickets often outstripping supply, fraudsters know they can trick fans into paying for tickets that simply don’t exist.”

The Government has joined Lloyds to issue a warning to supporters as part of its Stop! Think Fraud campaign. Lord Hanson, minister for fraud at the Home Office, said: “As the nation gears up for the new football season, so too do fraudsters, waiting to take advantage of loyal fans searching for tickets.

“More than three-quarters of football ticket scams last season started on social media, with what seem like genuine ‘first come, first served’ offers all too often designed to rip off desperate fans.

“That’s why we urge all football supporters hunting for tickets to Stop! Think Fraud. Stay alert and only buy directly from the clubs, their official partners and legitimate resale outlets.”

Football fans have been urged to take a moment to check if an offer is genuine, and avoid the temptation to rush into a decision because of a fear of missing out on a deal.

They are also being encouraged to stick to official sources, buying tickets directly from official club websites, ticket offices or their authorised partners. The Premier League website has a safe-buying guide to help fans when buying tickets.

Sajni Shah, a money expert at Compare the Market, said: “Stay alert to red flags like overly cheap tickets being sold over social media or sellers pushing you to make fast payments via online platforms. If something feels too good to be true, it probably is.”