Police figures reveal that nearly 3000 music and sports fans have lost ?1.2m to ticket fraud in that period, with the average loss per person working out at ?444 per transaction.

However, the BBC reports that the number of victims is likely to be much higher, as ticket fraud often goes unreported. Reg Walker of the Iridium Consultancy, which tackles ticket fraud, tells the BBC the true cost of ticket scams is in the tens of millions, but many people don't contact police because credit card companies usually refund their money. He adds: "Just because you get your money back, it doesn't mean to say that no crime has been committed and you're no longer a victim."

The national fraud and internet crime reporting centre, Action Fraud, agrees. They say: "Reported ticketing fraud losses run into millions of pounds, but the reality is the true scale of the problem is likely to be much greater.