A woman from Staffordshire is facing multiple fraud charges following allegations she sold fake tickets for the highly sought-after Oasis reunion tour.
The Charges and Court Appearance
Rosie Slater, aged 32 and from Newcastle-under-Lyme, has been formally charged with eleven separate counts of fraud by false representation. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in May of this year, according to a statement from Staffordshire Police.
Slater has been granted unconditional bail and is scheduled to make her first appearance at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre on December 11.
Broader Crackdown on Ticket Resales
This case emerges as the government confirms plans to outlaw the resale of tickets for concerts, theatre, comedy, and sports events for more than their original face value. This legislative move aims to protect fans from being exploited in the secondary ticket market.
The issue of ticket sales for the Oasis reunion has been under particular scrutiny. A Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation was previously launched into how Ticketmaster handled the 2024 Oasis ticket sales.
Findings of the Ticketmaster Probe
The CMA's investigation uncovered several problematic practices. It found that Ticketmaster failed to inform fans waiting in long online queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different price points.
Furthermore, fans were not warned that prices would increase immediately once the cheaper tickets were sold out. The CMA stated that Ticketmaster sold some 'platinum' tickets at nearly two and a half times the price of 'standard' tickets without making it sufficiently clear that these tickets offered no extra benefits within the same venue areas.
As a response to these findings, the CMA has mandated that Ticketmaster must now notify fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system, like the one used for Oasis standing tickets, will be implemented.
During the initial sale period, tickets for the Oasis reunion gigs were also listed on secondary resale websites for thousands of pounds, far exceeding their original cost and highlighting the scale of the ticket touting problem.
