The thrill of securing a ticket for Coldpaly’s upcoming concerts in Abu Dhabi has taken a dark turn for some fans as scammers have begun exploiting the high demand for the band’s Music of the Spheres tour.
Several concert enthusiasts have been defrauded of huge sums of money through seemingly legitimate social media transactions. The fans who fell victim to the sophisticated fraud offers have come forward, sharing their ordeal of being scammed while trying to secure tickets for the highly anticipated event.
While speaking to Khaleej Times, one female victim, a Dubai resident shared her harrowing experience of losing 400 Dirham (approximately Rs 9275.19) while attempting to buy tickets through a Facebook group.
“It was a tight-knit group, and I thought everyone was vetted. 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,” said the victim.
This trend of ticket fraud has reached very high levels. Several users claimed they had lost Dh 400 to Dh 1500.
Many complain that the fraudsters mainly use Facebook groups and other social media platforms to target desperate fans. Another victim in a similar incident lost Dh 500 and discovered potential multiple victims through her social media post.
The scammers have thus formulated sophisticated ways of creating the impression that they are real by providing identification numbers and authentic details, sharing elaborate backstories and using convincing communication strategies.
They frequently request partial payments and make the victim believe that the transaction is safe before securing hefty money and vanishing.
Official’s warnings
After fraud reporting, official ticketing platforms including Ticketmaster have issued strong warnings about purchasing tickets from unauthorized resellers. It highlights that tickets from platforms such as Viagogo, StubHub and Dubizzle will be cancelled as soon as they are sold.
Local officials are suggesting fans take every measure of precaution. Recommended measures include purchasing only through official and authorised sites, checking the seller’s authenticity very carefully, and reporting any signs of fraud immediately.
Coldplay concert in Abu Dhabi
Coldplay is performing in Abu Dhabi on January 9, 11, 12, and 14, 2025 at the Zayed Sports City Stadium. The highly anticipated concerts continue to generate massive excitement in the UAE.
As the concert date approaches, fans are encouraged to stay cautious and always check whether a ticket seller or the actual promoter of the concert is a genuine and secure concert experience.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Sayima Ahmad | 
