How to avoid falling for Ed Sheeran ticket scams

Ed Sheeran will perform three concerts at Portman Road, Ipswich, this summer

Ed Sheeran fans desperate to secure tickets for his upcoming concerts in Suffolk should be wary of social media scammers selling "fraudulent" tickets, a watchdog has warned.

Thousands of gig-goers will be scrambling to secure general sale tickets for the singer's shows at Portman Road, Ipswich, on 11, 12 and 13 July.

Suffolk Trading Standards has urged fans to avoid being hoodwinked into buying fake tickets, after some were sold on social media immediately after Wednesday's pre-sale.

A BBC investigation has since found at least seven scammers promising to transfer tickets, but how did these scammers operate?

Scammers tell of 'work clashes'

The first batch of tickets went on sale at 10:00 BST on Wednesday for fans who had pre-ordered Sheeran's new album, Play, or signed up for free via his website.

Ipswich Town season ticket holders were offered an exclusive sale on Thursday, before the general sale on Friday.

The singing superstar will perform at Ipswich Town Football Club's stadium on 11, 12 and 13 July

During the official sales, there has been a strict ticket limit of six per person.

But the BBC found within an hour of the first sale, at least seven social media profiles were advertising tickets they claimed were no longer needed.

One seller said they had a "work clash", while another claimed their "plans had shifted".

It came despite Ticketmaster stating tickets could not be transferred for Sheeran's shows.

Fake tickets were being sold on social media platforms straight after Wednesday's pre-sale

'You are safe with me here'

To test if the sellers were legitimate, the BBC used a pseudonym to create a profile on X, contacted each seller and expressed an interest in their tickets.

The prices on offer ranged from the face value £95 to £190 for one ticket.

When asked to send proof of the tickets, each seller sent the same screenshot purporting to be a purchase confirmation email.

The same fake screenshot purporting to be confirmation the tickets had been purchased legitimately was sent to the BBC by different accounts

We quizzed one of the accounts on how this could have happened, and they said: "There's a lot of people that would have screenshots of my tickets that I posted earlier.

"They stole my screenshot and are using that to take people's money."

Each seller also told us they would be using Ticketmaster's transfer scheme, despite it not being available.

The option to transfer tickets for Ed Sheeran's Portman Road gigs is not yet available

They each said they would send the tickets upon receiving payment, with one seller providing their bank details.

"It's instant and irreversible. You only need to refresh after it's done," one said.

Another insisted: "You should not be worried about getting scammed.

"You are safe with me here. You got nothing to worry about."

However, the events' promoters, Kilimanjaro Live and Communion One, told us: "Transferability is currently not switched on, so it is not possible for the person attempting to sell you the tickets to transfer you tickets immediately after payment."

None of the sellers accepted our request to speak over the phone or on video call, with one saying their voice was "real bad right now".

They each blocked our account after being told they were speaking to a reporter, with some deleting their earlier posts advertising tickets.

During the official sales there was a strict ticket limit of six per person - yet this X profile told the BBC it could get eight

What is Ed Sheeran's ticket policy?

According to Sheeran's official ticket policy, e-tickets for the shows will not officially be sent out until nearer to the time of the shows.

It also forbids any reselling that is not through official face value resale platforms.

"This function will be turned on a few weeks after the initial sale, once we're happy the tickets have been purchased by actual fans," it states.

The policy warns those with tickets purchased through unofficial means will see the holder refused entry.

"We are working to report all breaches of these acts as well as reporting any illegally advertised tickets," it says.

A spokesperson for Kilimanjaro Live and Communion One added: "There are many scammers, some even using bots, who may be attempting to encourage people to part with their money for tickets that may not even exist.

“We have a requirement for all members of a party to enter with the lead booker who must provide proof of identity."

They said people should only purchase tickets from official vendors listed on Sheeran's website.

Sheeran's gigs at Portman Road are considered a homecoming, having grown up in nearby Framlingham

What do the authorities say?

Sasha Watson, from Suffolk Trading Standards, said she expected "to see a huge number of scams" related to Sheeran's July concerts.

"Straight after the pre-sale tickets going on sale we saw people attempting to sell 'extra' tickets or tickets they can no longer use, but these are fraudulent," she said.

Ms Watson warned fans to never buy tickets on social media.

"People are very passionate about getting these tickets because they really want to go, so are often blinded by that," she added.

Like Kilimanjaro Live and Communion One, Ticketmaster also confirmed its ticket transfer scheme was not available.

"So this scammer is lying," a spokesperson added.

"We would always recommend fans only ever buy tickets from official sources and avoid buying from individuals on social media to protect themselves from ticketing scams."