UAE: Some Coldplay fans lose up to Dh1,500 to scammers selling fake concert tickets

As Coldplay fans eagerly await the band’s upcoming concerts in Abu Dhabi, some have fallen prey to ticket scams, losing thousands of dirhams. With overwhelming demand for tickets to Coldplay’s highly anticipated Music of the Spheres tour, scammers have been quick to exploit fans desperate for a chance to see the band perform in the UAE.

One such victim, P.S., a Dubai resident, shared her experience with Khaleej Times after losing Dh400 while attempting to buy tickets through a Facebook group. “It was a tight-knit group, and I thought everyone was vetted,” P.S. shared. “The seller asked me to send half the cost of the ticket, which was Dh400, to her bank account and then pay her the remaining amount once she had transferred the tickets on the Ticketmaster website."

However, a few hours after P.S. sent the payment, she was blocked from viewing the seller's profile. She then realised that she had been scammed.

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Determined to take action, P.S. reported the incident to the police and filed a criminal case against the person whose bank account she transferred the money to.

P.S. shared her experience on social media in hopes of preventing similar scams. Her post quickly gained traction, with several others coming forward to share similar stories of being scammed, or almost falling victim to fraud.

P.S. only realised the full scope of the scam after posting about her experience on social media. “One woman told me she lost Dh1,500 while trying to buy tickets from a reseller,” she said.

"Another user revealed being quoted Dh1,300 for two extra tickets from a supposed seller," she added.

'Nothing seemed suspicious'

Despite initial suspicions, P.S. had found the seller to be convincing. The scammer provided a valid Emirates ID, which seemed to match her Facebook profile, and even shared information about her employer. She also sent P.S. her husband's local bank account details with an IBAN number, making the transaction appear traceable.

Since P.S. did not complete the full payment, the scammer even asked for her ID, which made the situation seem more legitimate. “At the time, nothing seemed suspicious.”

She soon realised that what seemed like a well-organised deal was in fact a clever scam. It wasn’t until after the scam occurred and P.S. shared her experience online that she learned about the mobile entry system implemented by Ticketmaster for Coldplay’s UAE concerts.

Ticketmaster, the official seller for the Coldplay concert tickets in the UAE, has issued warnings on its website about purchasing tickets from third-party sellers. The concert will use mobile entry, which means that tickets will only be accessible on attendees' phones. Scannable tickets will only be made available 72 hours before the event.

These measures are intended to curb fraud, but many fans, like P.S., were unaware of the policy. "I wish I had known about this sooner,” she admitted. “If people were aware of the mobile entry system, they wouldn’t fall for these scams.”

However, P.S. is now worried about the potential fallout from the scam. "I noticed my Facebook profile has been cloned with the same photo," she said.

Although she quickly reported the fake account, she is left questioning whether the seller was truly the "British lady" she interacted with. "Could someone else have been using that person’s identity to scam others?"

"I am waiting for the police investigations to be completed so I can get some answers," P.S. said.

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