NewsLFC shuts down almost 100,000 fake accounts and issues lifetime bans to combat ticket touting

The number of accounts deactivated includes those cancelled following investigations and others blocked from sales or ballots due to suspicious online activity or identified as bots.

A further 5,670 accounts are currently under review by the club for suspicious activity, including supplying persons who have recently been charged by Merseyside Police for fraud related to ticket touting. A total of 1,500 tickets were cancelled across the 2023-24 season, either part of mass cancellations or from account holders who had already received sanctions, and the tickets were made available for resale.

The vast majority of lifetime bans and indefinite suspensions were handed down for unauthorised selling of season tickets, memberships or hospitality tickets, in breach of terms and conditions. This reflects the club’s zero-tolerance approach to all forms of ticketing touting.

This season, the club has continued to increase its investment in anti-touting measures, including developing greater online protection, delivering more boots-on-the-ground operations and dedicating more internal resources to take action.

Supporters are reminded not to buy tickets from unofficial online channels or from unofficial sellers, as there has been an increase in the number of fans being defrauded, particularly online.

As a result, the club would like to reiterate the places where fans should purchase Anfield tickets from in order to guarantee they are genuine.

All general admission tickets should be purchased from Liverpool FC only. For more details, go here. LFC also sells official hospitality direct to supporters here.

The club’s official match break partners – and their sub-agents, which are listed on their websites where applicable – are the only other places to guarantee the purchase of official LFC hospitality tickets.

Here is a list of LFC’s official match break partners and the hospitality area they provide official tickets for.

LFC supplies these agents with genuine hospitality tickets, and these packages are sold as match breaks with travel and/or at least one night’s hotel accommodation.

Fans can report unofficial ticket sales or fraudulent tickets to LFC here – and to Action Fraud here. More information on the LFC official sanctions process is available here.