Scammer jailed after swindling fans of nearly £40k with fake Liverpool tickets
14 January 2025, 14:02
A man who made thousands of pounds by scamming football fans looking to purchase tickets for Liverpool’s Champions League final in 2022 has been jailed.
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Lee Waldron received nearly £40,000 from 20 victims after sending them counterfeit PDF tickets for the European match against Real Madrid in Paris.
The 41-year-old, of Norbury Road, Kirkby, was sentenced to 21 months in jail at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday after being found guilty of acquiring/ using/ possessing criminal property.
Waldron was arrested following an investigation by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) into reports made to Action Fraud by the victims.
His associate, David Windsor, pleaded guilty to fraud offences in March 2024 and was also jailed for 21 months.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Maddocks from the NWROCU's Economic Crime Unit said: "The impact on the victims in this case has been significant, and it highlights the importance of purchasing tickets from reputable sources.
“We will continue to pursue those who seek to exploit fans for their own financial gain, and we're committed to bringing offenders like Waldron to justice."
He urged the public to be “vigilant when buying tickets for major events” by booking them through official sellers, researching the sites they are buying from, being wary of sellers offering to meet outside the venue and using secure payment methods.
It comes after two men were sentenced in August for swindling £13,500 from fans wanting to secure tickets for the same match in May 2022.
One victim paid £8,500 for top tier “category one” tickets while two other men paid £2,500 for two tickets each.
John Stuart, 42, of Jarrett Road, Kirkby, was jailed for eight months and Greg O'Neill, 41, of Beaconsfield, Prescot, was given a two-year community order for his part in the scam.
The issue of fraudulent ticket touts has grown at the Merseyside club in recent seasons with demand from fans vastly exceeding supply.
Some touts have been selling genuine tickets at hugely inflated prices while others are fraudulently selling fake or cloned tickets.
According to data from the club, international supporters, many of whom are looking to visit for the first time, are being particularly targeted.
