Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
“Brian May expresses his dissatisfaction after a fan alerted him to the scam.”
Queen guitarist Brian May has taken to social media to alert his followers about a scam involving fake VIP tickets for his upcoming shows. The fraudulent scheme, which was first brought to light by a fan known as stereojazz.3d, was promoted through a TikTok video.
In the video, the scammer impersonating Brian May claims, “I hope you’re all well out there. Some good news—backstage tickets for my next show in your cities are now only $800, down from $2000. I’m only selecting 10 people from the comments, so if you’re ready to pay, comment ‘ready.'”
May responded to the alert by expressing his outrage: “My God. This is horrific. It’s sadly become so easy for people to exploit others for a quick profit. Disgusting. Thanks to stereojazz.3d for bringing this to my attention. I’ve informed our team, and we will work to address this issue.”
“But is this where we’ve come to? Those who know me would easily recognize this as fake, but I’m sure many people could be deceived. Essentially, from now on, just seeing someone speak on a screen doesn’t guarantee they actually said those words. This applies not only to me but to anyone.”
Here’s a paraphrased version of the text:
“I’m currently feeling deeply unsettled and unsafe in today’s world. It’s important for us all to cling to what’s genuine in our lives.”
May then addressed his followers on Instagram to inform them about the scam.
“HELLO EVERYONE,” May wrote in uppercase to stress his frustration. “THIS IS A DESPICABLE SCAM. I’ve just been made aware of this dreadful criminal activity. I will keep you updated on my efforts to stop this abhorrent scheme to defraud loyal fans.”
Social media users on platforms like Facebook, X, and TikTok have increasingly become targets for scammers looking to exploit the high demand for sold-out events. Earlier this year, Lloyds Bank reported that Taylor Swift fans in the UK had lost over £1 million to scammers offering non-existent tickets.
Liz Ziegler, the bank’s fraud prevention director, advised, “To ensure you’re purchasing a legitimate ticket, buy directly from trusted and authorized sources. If a seller asks for payment via bank transfer, especially if you found them on social media, that should raise immediate concerns.”
