{"id":1603,"date":"2026-05-10T23:30:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T23:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/world-cup-ticket-warning-as-grim-stats-show-how-much-scammers-cost-fans\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T23:30:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T23:30:33","slug":"world-cup-ticket-warning-as-grim-stats-show-how-much-scammers-cost-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/world-cup-ticket-warning-as-grim-stats-show-how-much-scammers-cost-fans\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup ticket warning as grim stats show how much scammers cost fans"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_5699b0\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Social media scammers are targeting football fans by flogging non-existant World Cup tickets, the Home Office has warned &#8211; with fans losing hundreds of pounds this season<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\"><\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36827343\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Home Office has issued a warning to football fans\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5_Andorra-v-England-European-Qualifiers-Group-K-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"The Home Office has issued a warning to football fans\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The Home Office has issued a warning to football fans<cite aria-label=\"Image: The FA via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: The FA via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Social media scammers are flogging non-existent <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/world-cup-2026\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">World Cup <\/a>tickets for hundreds of pounds, anti-fraud chiefs have warned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Alarming new research shows the number of football ticket scams in the UK has risen 36% over six months &#8211; with victims losing an average of \u00a3215 over the season. This is over 40% more than last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Experts say the World Cup will be a prime target for fraudsters, especially given the huge cost of tickets. FIFA faces a backlash after ramping up the cost of best available seats to nearly \u00a325,000 for the competition in the US, Mexico and Canada.<\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_877b99\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37136622\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/politics\/angela-rayner-keir-starmer-burnham-37136622\" tabindex=\"0\">Angela Rayner says Burnham should never have been blocked as she issues ultimatum to Starmer<\/a><\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_877b99\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37135124\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/politics\/majority-voters-want-funding-royals-37135124\" tabindex=\"0\">Majority of voters want funding for royals slashed after \u00a350m hike in three years<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36580590\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36580590\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fans are urged to be on the alert for ticket scams\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_Serbia-v-England-2026-FIFA-World-Cup-European-Qualifiers-Group-K-Rajko-Mitic-Stadium.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Fans are urged to be on the alert for ticket scams\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Fans are urged to be on the alert for ticket scams<cite aria-label=\"Image: PA\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: PA)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds &#8211; which is partnering with the Home Office to tackle ticket fraud &#8211; said \u201cFraudsters thrive on urgency and target fans looking for hard\u2011to\u2011get tickets for big\u2011name fixtures. Most of the football ticket scams we see start on social media \u2013 especially <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/facebook\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Facebook<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/instagram\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Instagram<\/a> \u2013 before the criminal moves the buyer onto <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/whatsapp\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">WhatsApp<\/a> and insists on a bank transfer to pay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;It\u2019s incredibly convincing, and we don\u2019t want fans to lose their money trying to support their team. We\u2019re urging supporters to stay alert and stick to official ticketing channels.\u201d<em><u\/><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It is expected that online tricksters will use a similar approach, creating fake waiting lists to give their victims a sense of urgency. Analysis of thousands of scam cases found fans wanting to watch Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/manchester-united-fc\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Manchester United<\/a> were the most likely to get scammed from October 2025 to March 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said: &#8220;Only buy directly from FIFA or the FIFA Resale Marketplace. Missing out on a big match is disappointing, but becoming a victim to a scam makes it even harder to bear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Our new fraud strategy sets out how we will use every tool at our disposal to disrupt and dismantle criminal operations, bring fraudsters to justice and strengthen support for victims.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Earlier this year ministers launched a new Fraud Strategy, which included a \u00a331m investment for a new Online Crime Centre.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/world-cup-england-tickets-fraud-37135144\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social media scammers are targeting football fans by flogging non-existant World Cup tickets, the Home<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778455833_5_Andorra-v-England-European-Qualifiers-Group-K-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}