Barclays issues warning to university students, as number of under-21s recruited as money mules nearly doubles
New data from Barclays reveals that under-21s being recruited as money mules increased by 97 per cent between 2016 and 2018.
Consumers are warned to be careful when purchasing concert or event tickets from secondary ticketing websites after a Warwickshire resident spent over £200 on tickets that they found were invalid when they got to the venue (and were consequently denied entry).
This was probably because the scam seller had either cancelled them or reported them lost in the post before selling them online.
Consumers should:
- Where possible, buy your tickets from the box office or primary ticket agents, as these are the official agents who have agreements with promoters.
- Before entering any payment details on a website, make sure the web address starts with https (the ‘s’ stands for secure). There should be That there is a locked padlock icon in the browser’s address bar.
- Treat any claims of being able to sell cheap tickets for sold out events or offering tickets before they are officially on sale with extreme caution.
- Protect their purchases if the price of individual tickets is over £100, by using their credit card. As long as the card is used for any part of the transaction (even a small deposit), the credit card company is equally and separately liable if there is a problem with the purchase. No such legal protection exists for purchases made via debit cards; however, buyers can complain to their respective banks in such situations and request a chargeback.
If This Happens To You:
Report it to Action Fraud online or call 0300 123 2040.
Make a scam/rogue trader complaint to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 040506.
Get emotional support and practical advice following a cyber crime from Warwickshire Victim Support on 01926 682 693.
