Three foreign touts based in the US, Latvia and Germany are behind 75% of Manchester's vastly inflated Viagogo ticket listings

From the Newshound archive · first published 25 September 2026 · last updated 26 September 2026.

A FanFair Alliance investigation has revealed that three overseas touts are saturating Viagogo with tickets for close to 300 events at 13 venues across Greater Manchester, Salford and Stockport — every one priced well above face value. The costliest ticket uncovered was £5,899 for a Mica Millar show at New Century, representing a mark-up of 19,728%. Some listings also violate UK consumer law by carrying false seller information.

Smiths drummer Mike Joyce condemned the practice, arguing that fans end up paying over the odds while artists and venues receive none of the financial gain.

Viagogo pushed back, noting that the findings drew on listing prices rather than what buyers actually paid, and maintained that it takes its legal obligations seriously.

The three touts — based in the US, Latvia and Germany — accounted for more than 75% of the 1,600-plus tickets put up for resale on the platform.