Queen guitarist Brian May has taken to social media to warn followers about an attempt to scam fans out of money by offering discounted VIP tickets to his upcoming shows. The scam was brought to the attention of May by Queen fan stereojazz.3d, who shared a video that was originally posted on TikTok.
"I hope you're all well out there," says the fake Brian May in the video. "Some good news. Backstage tickets for my next show in your cities are now going for only $800, which were previously $2000. I'm only selecting 10 people in the comments, so if you're ready to make payment, comment, 'ready'."
May responded to stereojazz.3d's post by saying, "My God. This is horrific. I suppose this is now so easy to do - and there are always people who will sink to any depths to try to make a quick buck. Disgusting. Thanks for the alert dear stereojazz.3d – I've alerted our team and hopefully we can squash this.
"But is this where we're at. You guys who know me could instantly spot that this is a fake, but I'm sure it would fool a lot of people. So basically from now on, even seeing somebody speak on a screen does not mean they actually said any of the words you're hearing. Not just me, of course, but anyone.
"But right now I'm feeling violated. I certainly don't feel comfortable or safe in the world as it has become now. Will all have to try to hold onto what is real in our lives."
May then took to his own Instagram account to ensure his followers were aware of the scam.
"HI FOLKS," May writes, using capital letters to emphasise his displeasure. "THIS IS A VILE SCAM. I was just alerted to this horrible criminal activity. I'll let you know how I get on stamping out this disgusting attempt to steal money from trusting fans."
Users of social media platforms like Facebook, X and TikTok have all become targets for scammers wanting to exploit demand for access to sold-out shows. Earlier this year, Lloyds Bank revealed that UK fans of Taylor Swift had handed over more than £1 million to scammers for tickets that didn't exist.
"Buying directly from reputable, authorised platforms is the only way to guarantee you’re paying for a genuine ticket," said Liz Ziegler, the bank’s fraud prevention director. "If you’re being asked to pay by bank transfer, particularly from a seller you’ve found on social media, that should immediately set alarm bells ringing."
Last week, Queen announced a Collector's Edition "rebuild" of their first album.
