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."

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

Another Dubai-resident, K.L., said she also lost Dh500 trying to buy Coldplay tickets on Facebok. “I believe the person who scammed me has scammed other people because when I posted on social media, I got messages saying the same person had tried to sell tickets to them,” she said. “I have the screenshots of all our Whatsapp communications which I have now reported to police.”

'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.

When a KT journalist posed as a potential buyer to investigate further, a so-called “seller” sent photos of an Emirates ID and screenshots of an email claiming to include the tickets. The scammer asked for Dh400 per ticket, mirroring the same tactics used with P.S.

The seller's profile appeared to be that of a woman, but discrepancies were soon found: the Emirates ID provided did not match the personal information in the profile. In fact, the ID belonged to a male individual with a birthday that differed from what was listed on the social media profile. When pressed for clarification, the seller quickly blocked the journalist, anindication that the seller was operating a fraudulent scheme.

'I wish I had known about this sooner'

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.

Music of the Spheres world tour

The excitement surrounding Coldplay's performance in Abu Dhabi, their only Middle Eastern stop on the Music of the Spheres world tour, has led to overwhelming demand. Originally scheduled for January 11, 2025, the concert quickly sold out, prompting the band to add three more shows.

Fans flooded online platforms, some even attempting to buy tickets using multiple devices. As a result, ticket resellers have turned to social media and secondary marketplaces to offer "extra" tickets, often at inflated prices.

Several international fans have bought tickets for the Abu Dhabi concerts, hoping to catch their favourite band's performance in person. Some travel agents are expecting a 300 per cent increase in flight ticket prices from Asia, Africa, and GCC countries around the concert dates.

Don't purchase tickets from unofficial sources

As Coldplay prepares for its performance in Abu Dhabi, fans are urged to stay vigilant and avoid purchasing tickets from unofficial sources, especially on social media.

Organisers in the country issued a warning about purchasing from unauthorised resellers. Official ticketing platform Ticketmaster made it clear that tickets purchased from unauthorised resellers such as Viagogo, Stubhub, Grinthub and Dubizzle are not valid for entry and "will be cancelled".

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Nasreen Abdulla

nasreen@khaleejtimes.com

Nasreen Abdulla is a Special Correspondent covering food, tech and human interest stories. When not challenged by deadlines, you’ll find her pulling off submissions on the jiu jitsu mats.