More than £1.2m in assets have been seized and 432 lifetime bans issued as part of a clampdown by Liverpool FC and Merseyside police on ticket touting. In the first operation of its kind between a Premier League club and their local police authority, Liverpool’s investigations team worked with the force’s economic crime team to analyse almost 700,000 ticket registrations last season and to focus on the laundering of criminal proceeds from illicit ticket sales.
The joint investigation has led to £1.2m in assets related to organised ticket touts being detained with several cases taking place under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Two people have been convicted and another is due in court next month. The assets seized will be split between Merseyside police and the Home Office.
Liverpool blocked or cancelled 67,663 suspected fake accounts last season and a further 121,379 remain under investigation. As well as 432 lifetime bans, the club issued 115 indefinite suspensions where the account holder faces a three-year wait on average before they can apply for reinstatement.
Most bans were imposed for the unauthorised selling of season tickets, membership tickets or hospitality tickets. Lifetime bans and suspensions were also imposed in three cases of racist and homophobic abuse, 13 instances of inappropriate touching or language, four for assault and one for tragedy chanting.
Investigations by the club and police outside Anfield on match days last season resulted in a 33% increase in the number of burner phones either identified or seized.
Detective chief inspector Nick Suffield, from Merseyside police’s economic crime team, said: “We will always take action to protect genuine fans who fall victim to touts when all they are trying to do is simply purchase tickets to support their team.
“Our activities to target touts operating both online and on match days will continue and we work closely with supporters and clubs to keep identifying ticket touts and doing all we can to prevent them taking advantage of supporters and spoiling people’s experience of football and the city.
“Our advice to football supporters is clear: don’t buy from ticket touts. You will be taking a huge risk with a lot of money and may ultimately be refused entry to the match with no way of getting your money back.”
