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Fake Beyonce tickets: pair arrested

Beyonce fans have been left out-of-pocket when they were duped into buying fake concert tickets worth thousands of pounds.

A 31-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman from Essex have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, after around 140 fans were turned away from the American popstar's gig at the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester four months ago.

Detectives said more than 140 sets of bogus tickets were sold for in excess of £100 each on third-party websites by suspected touts, which were presented at the turnstiles by music lovers, unaware they were fake.

Those unable to attend missed a hit-packed set, which included crowd favourites Crazy in Love and Irreplaceable.

Detective Constable Mike Dermody said: "In each case the victims believed they were buying genuine tickets and arranged to meet the seller at locations near to the venue where they handed over cash in exchange for the tickets.

"The fraud only came to light when the victims tried to enter the concert venue and security staff noticed the tickets were fakes.

"Throughout the investigation we have been working closely with Action Fraud and our colleagues in local police forces across the country and have unearthed a number of similar offences across the country.

"There is no doubt that there are still victims - and potential suspects - we haven't yet spoken to and I urge anyone who has been sold fake tickets in such a way to get in touch."

Source: music.uk.msn.com
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