Rave Ticket Scams: How to Buy Tickets Safely in the UK

To avoid rave ticket scams, buy only from the venue box office, the official promoter or agent, or a reputable ticket exchange¹. Pay by credit card or a protected "goods and services" payment, and avoid bank transfer or "friends and family", especially with someone unknown^{1, 2}. Fake tickets for sold-out events are sold online or on social media³.

Sold-out nights, last-minute plans and a scene that lives on social media give fake sellers plenty of places to hide. This guide covers where to buy rave tickets safely, how to spot the scams and the steps to take if you've already been caught out.

How common are rave ticket scams?

Ticket fraud is a serious problem in the UK. Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting service until Report Fraud replaced it in December 2025¹⁸, reported that the total combined loss from ticket fraud rose nearly 50% from 2023 to £9.7 million in 2024 (Action Fraud, 2024)⁴.

Action Fraud received 9,826 ticket fraud reports in 2024, and 38% of them involved concert tickets (Action Fraud, 2024)³.

In 2024, June and July saw the most reports, with more than 1,000 in June alone (Action Fraud, 2024)³.

The losses aren't small change either. In 2021/22, victims reported losing £3.8 million to ticket fraud, an average of more than £750 each (Action Fraud, 2021/22)⁵.

The highest share of ticket fraud reports (27%) came from people aged 20 to 29 (Action Fraud, 2021/22)⁵.

Where should you buy rave tickets?

The golden rule: buy only from the seller the promoter or venue names. Official advice is to stick to the venue's box office, the official promoter or agent, or a well-known and reputable ticket exchange¹.

Whether you find a night through our UK raves and club nights listings, a flyer or a mate's story, check where the promoter itself says tickets are sold. Use the link on the promoter's or venue's own website or official social account, not one dropped in a comment or a DM.

Look for a STAR member

STAR is a self-regulatory body for the ticket industry and is approved by the government to help resolve disputes¹.

Buying from a STAR member means the seller has signed up to a strict Code of Practice, and you have somewhere to turn if things go wrong¹.

Check the web address

Fraudsters set up fake websites with names similar to genuine ones, so check the web address carefully before you pay¹.

It's also worth checking that the seller's website lists a landline number and a postal address¹. If in doubt, close the page and go back through the promoter's own link.

What do rave ticket scams look like?

Action Fraud warns about fraudsters selling fake tickets to popular or sold-out events online or on social media, especially through unsolicited messages³. Underground and small-club nights that sell out fast are an obvious draw.

"Ticket in hand" posts

The classic scam is a post in an event page or group from someone with a spare. Fraudsters often claim to be a "fan" or "friend" reselling spare tickets⁶.

In one reported case, a victim transferred money to a social media seller, who deleted their account as soon as the payment arrived⁵.

In another, a victim paid over £150 for concert tickets advertised online, and the seller blocked them once the money landed⁷.

Hacked accounts you trust

Action Fraud has received reports of hacked social media accounts being used to promote fake tickets⁴.

These sellers look believable because the profile has lots of friends and posts going back many years⁴. If a mate suddenly posts tickets for sale, contact them another way, by calling or texting, before you send a penny.

Sold-out and last-minute resale

Criminals advertise fake tickets to popular and sold-out events on secondary sites and social media⁷.

Scammers lure buyers with heavily discounted tickets to sold-out events. Once you pay, either nothing arrives or the tickets are counterfeit or cancelled and won't get you in⁶.

Last-minute panic is what they rely on. If a deal appears hours before doors, slow down and run through the checks below.

Lookalike sites and meet-ups

Other common tactics include lookalike web addresses, requests for bank transfer and offers to meet in person⁶.

A face-to-face handover can feel safer, but seeing a ticket on someone's screen doesn't prove it's valid or that it hasn't been sold to other people too.

How can you spot fake rave tickets?

Watch for these red flags before you pay:

• The seller asks for a bank transfer^{1, 6}.
• The seller asks you to pay by "friends and family"².
• The price looks too good for a sold-out night⁶.
• The offer arrives in a message you didn't ask for³.
• The link goes to a site that isn't the one the promoter names¹.
• You're being rushed to pay "before someone else does".

A busy, long-standing profile is not proof of anything, as hacked accounts can look completely genuine⁴.

If this is your first night out at a rave, our first rave guide covers the rest of the prep.

Which payment methods protect you?

How you pay often decides whether you can get your money back. A credit card or a payment service gives you more protection than a bank transfer, especially when buying from someone you don't know¹. Bank transfers do have a safety net of their own: since 7 October 2024, banks must refund most victims of bank transfer scams, up to £85,000¹⁹.

With a credit card, Section 75 makes the card company equally responsible with the seller if something goes wrong or the seller fails⁸.

With a chargeback, you file the dispute through your card issuer, and the seller is then generally expected to respond within 20 to 45 days, depending on the card network⁹.

"Goods and services" payments can work: one buyer got their money back this way after the ticket he was sent turned out to be fake².

A seller who asks you to pay "friends and family" is asking you to give up your only way to claim the money back¹⁰. Walk away.

Are resale tickets safe in the UK?

Resale can be fine if you use a well-known and reputable ticket exchange¹. Random sellers on social media are a different story.

The rules are changing. On 19 November 2025, the government announced plans to make it unlawful to resell tickets for live events for more than their original cost^{12, 13}.

The cap would be face value plus unavoidable fees, and it would apply to any platform reselling to UK consumers, including social media¹².

These plans are not law yet: the new rules are not in force¹². A cap on resale platform service fees is also planned, but its level hadn't been decided¹³.

Under the plans, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) could fine platforms up to 10% of global turnover for breaches (RPC, 2026)¹².

The CMA is already acting. In June 2026 it fined StubHub £889,200 and ordered it to refund more than £590,000 to 51,350 customers for not showing the total price up front, a practice known as drip pricing (CMA, 2026)^{14, 20}.

The CMA has also said its current powers are limited and has called for a licensing regime for secondary ticketing platforms¹⁵.

If an event's terms restrict resale, those terms are open to a fairness test under the Consumer Rights Act 2015¹⁶. Before buying second-hand, check the event's own rules on resale and name changes.

None of this turns a fake ticket into a real one. A price cap won't help if the seller vanishes with your money, so the buying and paying rules still apply.

What if you've been scammed?

Act quickly, because time limits apply to some claims, such as chargebacks⁹.

1. Call your bank or card provider. Tell your bank straight away¹¹, which also helps prevent further unauthorised transactions⁶.
2. Start a claim. Depending on how you paid, that's Section 75, a chargeback or a buyer protection dispute (see the table above). Chargeback windows are generally 120 days⁹.
3. Report it in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Use Report Fraud online or call 0300 123 2040^{11, 17}.
4. Report it in Scotland. Police Scotland hasn't signed up to Report Fraud, so call 101 instead^{11, 17}.
5. Forward scam texts. Report suspicious texts free of charge to 7726¹¹.
6. Save the evidence. Screenshot the post, the profile, the chat and your payment confirmation, because in reported cases sellers deleted their accounts once paid⁵.
7. Warn others. Report the account to the social media site and tell the promoter, so they can warn their followers.

If your ticket fails at the door

If your ticket is rejected as fraudulent, don't try to use it again, as that could cause further issues⁶.

Ask venue staff to document the problem⁶, and keep that record for your bank claim and police report. Then make sure you've got a safe way home: our guide to staying safe on a big night out has you covered.