New BBC documentary investigates £1 million Glastonbury ticket scam
Fake Friend: The Glastonbury Ticket Scammer focuses on Miles Hart, the alleged conman who sold "fake" passes to Glastonbury 2024 for thousands of pounds
A new BBC documentary is investigating an alleged Glastonbury ticket scam which reportedly swindled over £1 million from victims.
Fake Friend: The Glastonbury Ticket Scammer premiered on BBC Three last week (November 24), focusing on Miles Hart, who has been accused of selling tickets to the Somerset festival for "thousands of pounds", which customers claim never arrived.
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Hart, the son of Conservative councillor Susannah Hart, allegedly claimed that he had been allocated 42 hospitality tickets due to his mother's ownership of land close to Worthy Farm; Glastonbury often gives nearby residents the opportunity to purchase tickets outside of the general allocation.
However, according to the BBC's investigation, Hart's promises turned out to be false, with associates claiming he created fake invoices and email addresses in order to pass off his claims as genuine.
A school friend of Hart, who had successfully bought a pass from him in 2022, told the BBC that two days before the festival, he contacted Glastonbury to find out when his ticket would be sent, only to be informed that they had "no knowledge" of Hart.
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Meanwhile, Hart approached Ibiza promoter Kai Cant, along with another company called Star Gaze Entertainment, offering hospitality passes costing £1,350 per ticket; a former Star Gaze employee claims to have sold "hundreds of pounds" worth of these hospitality tickets to customers.
Hart claimed he "didn't trust" postal services to deliver the tickets, so offered to hand them to buyers directly at pubs and hotels close to Glastonbury. Cant claims Hart never showed up, leaving the former in "around £500,000" of debt.
According to BBC News, The Metropolitan Police said it is investigating around 50 allegations of ticket fraud relating to Glastonbury 2024. Miles Hart's whereabouts are currently unknown.
You can watch Fake Friend: The Ticket Scammer via BBC iPlayer here.
Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter