Surge in scalpers trying to fleece Taylor Swift fans for MCG show tickets

Taylor Swift fans desperate to score a seat to one of her three sold-out concerts at the MCG are being ripped off by touts up to 483 per cent above the face value of a ticket.

A surge in scalpers trying to rip off Taylor Swift fans has been reported by authorities since all tickets to the pop superstar’s history making MCG shows officially sold out.

Swift fans desperate to score a seat to her three sold out Melbourne concerts are being ripped off up to 483 per cent above the face value of a ticket by touts.

Victorian scalper inspectors have busted scammers trying to illegally sell more than 1000 seats to Swift’s February “The Eras’’ shows, including a single ticket worth $379.90 advertised online for $2210.

The Herald Sun can reveal 481 tickets were removed from secondary sites for Swift’s February 17 show alone since final tickets were snapped up on November 10.

The Shake It Off star is set to smash Ed Sheeran’s Australian concert record of 218,000 fans across two nights at the MCG with her three sold-out shows. Picture: Getty Images

There were 324 illegal tickets to the February 16 concert being flogged for sky high prices

– including $379.90 seats advertised for $2065 – torn down from websites.

And 231 illegal tickets to Swift’s February 18 show were taken off the market, including a $379.90 seat being sold for $1860.

Major Events Steve Dimopoulos warned against buying tickets for inflated prices online as they could be voided due to their illegal mark-up or sold several times by scalpers, leaving heartbroken fans locked out an broke.

“Event organisers will only accept authorised tickets on the night,” he said.

“If you try and get your Taylor Swift tickets through an unauthorised seller, you risk having a ticket that’s not accepted at the door.

“The best way to secure your spot at Taylor’s highly anticipated Melbourne concerts is to get your ticket through an authorised seller.”

In total, at least 1090 dodgy ticket listings have been detected by state government inspectors since tickets first went on sale in late June and removed from websites such as Gumtree, eBay, Ticombo and Stubhub.

Tickets to Swift’s three MCG shows and four Sydney shows sold out in less than two hours. Picture: AFP

But 1036 of those tickets were removed for being advertised for more than 10 per cent above their face value after thousands of frustrated fans were left disappointed when a second round of ticket sales through Ticketek sold in less than an hour on November 24.

Fines of up to $962 for individuals and more than $576,930 for companies exist in Victoria for selling tickets to declared events, also including AFL finals, the Melbourne Grand Prix and Australian Open, for more than 10 per cent above face value.

“We’re making sure that every fan pays a fair price for tickets to Taylor Swift’s shows in Melbourne, that’s why every performance in our state is protected by our strict ticket scalping laws,” he said.

It comes as Melburnians prepare to cash in on “Swifties” coming from near and far to watch the US hit-maker perform the record breaking run of MCG shows

Airbnb said searches for Melbourne accommodation grew by more than 300 per cent when Swift’s Melbourne tour was announced and bookings during this month’s Australian Open tennis were up 30percent compared to last year.

Tickets to Swift’s three MCG shows and four Sydney shows sold out in less than two hours, with fans young and old left frustrated and in many cases empty-handed.

The Shake It Off star is set to smash Ed Sheeran’s Australian concert record of 218,000 fans across two nights at the MCG with her three sold-out shows at the venue.