Social media sites urged to tackle online ticket fraud as scams increase by 55%

The public should be wary of "sold-out" ticket offers for major events such as Euro 2016, Glastonbury and Wimbledon, are touted as the targets for fake tickets this summer. This week, Trading Standards teams have warned the public that top priorities for ticket scams may also include concerts by Beyonce, Rihanna, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen at Wembley.

"With Euro 2016 starting next month, big-name concerts on the horizon and Glastonbury Festival already sold out, this summer is ripe for criminals to exploit desperate fans willing to do anything to get a ticket to see England play or see their favourite band," Cllr Simon Blackburn, chairman of the Local Government Association's (LGA) Safer and Stronger Communities board, told the BBC.

Fake tickets were created by using photocopiers, added Blackburn, selling the same ticket "over and over again using a barcode which won't work when you get to the venue".

Trading Standards teams in England and Wales are focusing on online ticket fraud, and called on social media sites to "do more to help prevent people being conned paying for tickets on their sites".

He warned people to be "very wary of ticket offers for 'sold out' events as these situations are exploited by criminals".

"Similarly, if the price seems too good to be true, it's likely to be a scam," he said in a Yorkshire Post report .

The LGA is recommending people to buy tickets through official channels so as not to risk losing money by using unofficial websites or social media. Mike Andrews, of the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, said criminals selling fake tickets online were becoming "more and more prevalent", and urged fans to be on guard.

Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime reported that major sporting events accounted for over 25% of all ticket scams. Those most at risk of buying fake tickets are aged in the 20-29 age group at 28%.

In 2015, £5.2m ($7.54m) was lost by customers – a 55% rise from 2014, when online ticket fraud amounted to £3.35m, according to police.