Oasis Ticket Scam: 'My Instagram Was Hijacked for £1,400 Fraud'

A woman's Instagram account was hijacked by hackers who advertised fake Oasis concert tickets and stole £1,400 from her friends. The hackers impersonated her and even contacted her former colleague to spread the scam. The woman is still locked out of her account and Instagram has refused to recognize it as fraudulent.

Lauren Jones*, a music enthusiast, fell victim to a sophisticated Instagram scam that resulted in the loss of £1,400 from her friends. The hackers gained access to her account and posted an advertisement for four fake tickets to Oasis's Wembley Stadium gig on Saturday, July 26. The scammers impersonated Jones, making her friends believe the tickets were genuine. They even reached out to one of her former colleagues to share the post, inadvertently spreading the scam further.

Jones discovered the hack when her mobile started pinging with verification messages for her LinkedIn, Vinted, and Facebook accounts. She was unable to regain access to her Instagram account, and the hackers used it to advertise the tickets and demand £100 (£75) to return control. Her friends were taken in by the scammers' convincing messages, with some even planning to send the demanded money.

The incident highlights the growing trend of ticket fraud, with official data showing that £1.6 million was lost to gig ticket fraud last year, more than double the previous year's figure. Oasis's high-profile reunion tour has been a prime target for scammers, with Lloyds Banking Group reporting that UK Oasis fans had lost over £2 million to fraudsters by March this year.

Chris Ainsley, head of fraud risk management at Santander, noted that the scammers used the highlight tool to make the fraudulent post more visible, helping it spread quickly. Jake Moore, a cybersecurity expert at ESET, explained that the scammers impersonate individuals to give victims a false sense of security. He warned that criminals can use AI to craft convincing messages and that many accounts are compromised due to weak passwords or insecure networks.

Jones is still locked out of her account, and Instagram has refused to recognize the account as fraudulent. She suspects she may have fallen victim to a phishing attack or used an insecure public Wi-Fi network. Moore advises using social media websites' two-factor authentication settings to protect accounts and avoid becoming an easy target for scammers.

References:
[1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oasis-ticket-scam-instagram-hijacked-080047743.html
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/jul/26/oasis-ticket-scam-instagram-fraud-wembley-stadium