Fraud probe launched after Edinburgh woman allegedly scams dozens out of Oasis tickets

A fraud investigation has been launched after an Edinburgh woman allegedly scammed dozens of people out of Oasis tickets.

The Gallagher brothers made their highly anticipated return to Scotland with three sold-out shows at Murrayfield on Friday, Saturday, and Tuesday.

Around 70,000 fans were at Murrayfield each night to see the Manchester band perform classics such as Don’t Look Back in Anger and Slide Away.

However, police are investigating allegations that a woman in East Lothian failed to deliver gold-dust tickets promised to around 60 desperate fans, after many people claiming to be victims of the scam came together through a social media post.

‘My daughters were devastated’

Official government data in June showed £1.6m was lost to fraud involving gig tickets last year – more than double the previous year’s figure – and Oasis’s high-profile reunion tour has been widely used to lure victims.

Earlier this year, Lloyds Banking Group said more than 1,000 customers had fallen for scams linked to the Manchester band’s eagerly anticipated UK concerts.

Among them was Lori Cairney, from Edinburgh, who said her daughters were left “devastated” after she decided to surprise them with tickets,

She sent a woman in the area £500 for the tickets – only for them to never arrive.

“The woman had on her Snapchat story in mid-July that she had Oasis tickets for sale”, she said. “My partner and I kept asking, as we decided to surprise our daughters.

“We bought them T-shirts, etc, and they were both very excited. Two days before, I asked the woman why people were on social media saying she scammed them.

“She promised me she wouldn’t do that and guarantee I would have the tickets by Friday. Saturday came. No tickets. My daughter is devastated.”

Lara McEnaney also purchased tickets from the same woman for £340, but she did not hear from her on the day of the gig.

“I bought tickets on July 14, two standing tickets which cost £340,” she said.

“Before sending the money, I asked if she could quickly FaceTime for two minutes just so I could see her face matched up with her profile, which it did. She asked me if I could do it through PayPal which thankfully I did.

“She seemed really genuine, and I thought no way would this lady scam me because I could see her business account, etc, on Facebook.

“I messaged her August 6 asking about the tickets, and she sent me a pic of her leg on a hospital bed…she told me she was in the hospital and that her husband would transfer over the tickets later that night.

“I kept checking my emails, absolutely nothing I then messaged her the next morning, she told me she was having a procedure and she had a friend who worked at Ticketmaster who was going to help push through the transfer.

“On the day of Oasis, she never messaged me for a while. She then messaged me around 12.30pm to say she had been dealing with police because a woman was slamming her on Facebook and sending death threats.

“I then searched her name on Facebook and saw the post. I then confronted her, and she asked me how she could scam me because I had paid through PayPal, and there were plenty of tickets left on Viagogo.

Lara said she is claiming a refund through PayPal, and even managed to get last-minute tickets through the resale platform.

“I was absolutely gutted however, I went on Viagogo and managed to get restricted view tickets which cost me £450,” she added. “There was a lovely steward who I spoke to and she actually let us in the gold circle.

“Our day went from bad to good as we were so close to the stage. However, many people never got to see Oasis due to her actions.”

Police Scotland has confirmed a fraud investigation was launched into the complaints and is in its “early stages”.

A spokesperson said: “On Saturday, August 9, 2025 we received a report of fraud in the Edinburgh area.

“Enquiries are at an early stage.”