Ticket Fraud Reports Surge By 244% in Scotland.

A Freedom of Information request sent by The Cut & Craft to Action Fraud revealed that ticket fraud reports have surged from 2021 to 2023 rising by a huge 244%.

In 2021 there were 71 reports across the Scotland, this rose to 244 in 2023. In 2024 so far (Jan-May) there have been 104 reports.

Looking at the demographic details of the reports made from 2021 to May 2024 in Scotland 369 came from females, 112 came from males and 24 were classed as unknown. Altogether a staggering 60.49% were females.

Woman With Credit Card Using Landline Phone

Police Scotland	2021	2022	2023	2024	Total
Female	26	107	163	73	369
Male	40	67	70	22	199
Unknown	5	17	11	9	42

Moving on to victim age group statistics, the most common age group that were victims in the Scotland were aged 20-29. One victim so far this year was aged over 100 years old.

Statistics also sadly showed that 78 victims in Scotland were children and young adults aged between 10-19.

Police Scotland	2021	2022	2023	2024	Total
10 to 19	14	29	28	7	78
20 to 29	17	93	116	44	270
30 to 39	22	33	52	23	130
40 to 49	11	17	28	17	73
50 to 59	3	14	16	6	39
60 to 69	4	3	1	4	12
70 to 79	0	0	2	1	3
80 to 89	0	1	0	0	1
100 to 110	0	0	0	1	1
Unknown	0	1	1	1	3

Moving onto the monetary details. The overall average loss in Scotland was £323.

When compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland only had the second lowest average loss in total.

Country	Overall Average (2021-May 2024)
England	£681
Wales	£637
Scotland	£323
Northern Ireland	£294

The highest total loss that Police Scotland saw was £18,000 in 2023.

Speaking on the findings, Georgina Pellant from The Cut & Craft said, “the findings are really shocking, especially the fact that it’s such a big rise.

“It’s really easy to fall victim, all it takes is a small drop in focus, maybe a busy day, or you’re feeling tired, and you can lose a lot of money, no matter how fraud savvy you are.

“The fact that children and young adults, under the age of 19 are also falling victim means we don’t just have to be mindful of our own activities, but also our family and even kids.

“I urge people to be careful, always think twice, use trusted sources, never rush, and remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it most often is.”