June 2025 Newsletter
Posted By: Mark Friday 25th July 2025 Tags: cyber attacks, cyber crime, Cyber Fraud, Cyber Security, Data Breach, Data Leak, Data Privacy, Data Protection, Newsletter, ransomware, technologyThis month: Ticketing scams are on the rise, UK customers remain cybercrime target, AI aiding NHS healthcare, and, what to do with fast tech, plus the latest LaneSystems news.
Ticketing Scams are on the Rise: Don’t Be Next
With festival season in full swing, a number of high profile acts with UK tours, and various popular sporting events dominating the calendar, the Home office is warning event-goers to be aware of ticket fraud.
In late June, the Home Office revealed that in 2024 UK consumers lost £1.6 million to ticket scams — doubling the amount reported the year before. Around 3,700 victims came forward to ActionFraud detailing fake or non-existent tickets for concerts, festivals and other live events. Nearly half of all frauds originated on social media, where scammers pose as resellers of last-minute access to high-demand tickets. People in their 20s were the worst hit, making up 27% of all reports.
Why are ticketing scams currently in focus?
Festival season is ongoing, with the likes of Glastonbury, Download and Isle Of Wight just passed, and TRNSMT, Wireless and Latitude festivals upcoming. Big stadium and arena tours from the likes of Coldplay, Beyoncé and Oasis loom large, while summer sport peaks with Wimbledon, the Silverstone Grand Prix, and England’s cricket Test Matches against India.
Scammers exploit FOMO — “fear of missing out” — dangling“ guaranteed” seats for sold-out events. They lure buyers off official platforms then insist on bank transfers or crypto payments, leaving victims unable to recover money when fake tickets never materialise.
It’s more than cash: trusting a scammer can lead to emotional fallout —disappointment, embarrassment and shattered holiday plans. Lord Hanson, Fraud Minister, warns that scammers “post fake messages on social media sites offering tickets they can’t use or make last-minute offers from bogus companies… so let’s all stay cautious, stay alert and stay protected from fraud”.
Spotting ticketing scams
General ways to stay safe from online fraud, applicable to ticketing scams, include:
- Be wary of unrealistic bargains: If a ticket is significantly cheaper than face value, pause. Scammers advertise steep discounts to hook buyers.
- Avoid off-platform deals: Genuine resales happen on venue box offices or Verified Resale schemes. Requests to pay by bank transfer, gift card or untraceable crypto are red flags.
- Don’t fall for pressure tactics: FOMO is fuel. “Hurry, only one left!” messages are engineered to prevent you from fact-checking.
- Check the seller’s personal info: No phone number, no postal address, only a social-media handle? If it’s vague seller information then don’t proceed.
- Look out for fake goods: Some fraudsters take a real ticket’s image, copy its barcode onto multiple fakes. Only the first will scan at the gate.
Official Advice For Avoiding Ticketing Scams
Both the Home Office’s Stop! Think Fraud advice, and consumer-champion Which, provide great tips to avoid dud tickets:
Buy through official channels
Always start with the event’s organiser or venue box office. Next-best are Verified Resale schemes (e.g. Ticketmaster Face Value Resale, Twickets). Check the artist’s official site for authorised sellers, and never click an unverified third-party link.
Protect your payment
Use a credit card, PayPal or another regulated payment service. These methods offer chargeback or dispute resolution if the ticket turns out to be fake. Never agree to pay by bank transfer or cryptocurrency,which offer no buyer protection.
Vet the seller
Look for track record: genuine ticket sites are STAR-approved (Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers). On resale platforms, read buyer reviews and ratings. On social media, check for verified badges or prior trade history. If you can’t verify who they are, walk away.
Verify ticket details
Before you pay, ask the seller to provide a photo of the ticket showing the unique 10-digit code (not just a screenshot). For mobile tickets, ask them to refresh the barcode in your presence. Be cautious if they promise to “transfer” a ticket after payment—insist on transferring it via the official platform so you can track it.
Take a moment to think “Stop! Think Fraud”
Scammers bank on haste. Before hitting “buy,” stop scrolling, think through the deal, check other sites for price comparisons, review the seller’s contact options and look up Action Fraud’s guidance at actionfraud.police.uk. If in doubt, leave it.
Other general protections from ticketing scams
- Keep all communications and payment receipts—screenshots, email chains, transaction IDs.
- Use unique passwords and two-factor authentication on accounts where you buy tickets, so scammers can’t hijack your credentials to steal existing bookings.
Follow the Stop! Think Fraud newsletter or social channels for fresh alerts before each big event.
What to do if you’ve been caught out by a ticketing scam
If you’ve been scammed:
- Contact your bank immediately to freeze payments or dispute a credit-card charge.
- Report the crime at Action Fraud (online or call 0300 123 2040).
- If you paid by PayPal or credit card, follow their dispute processes.
With thousands of events inviting millions to join the live-experience craze, awareness is your best defence. Stick to official channels, pay safely, vet sellers and always give yourself a moment to Stop! Think Fraud. Enjoy your summer of live music and sport, scam-free.
LaneSystems News
Charity News
In June, we donated RAM and labour worth £450 to North Tyneside Citizens Advice, to go towards their Windows 11 upgrades programme.
Windows 10 End of Support Reminder
We’re going to keep leaving a gentle reminder here that Microsoft will no longer officially support Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. After this date, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, bug fixes, or technical assistance for Windows 10. Read more about why it’s essential to keep systems up to date in the article below.
We have been contacting all of our clients during the past year to make them aware, so that we can plan a smooth transition to Windows 11 where necessary. If you’re a business in the North East of England who needs help with the update, contact us today for assistance.
June Cybersecurity Roundup: UK Customers Still in the Crosshairs
The past month has seen further cyber attacks targeting both UK institutions and global brands with UK customer bases, underscoring the persistent threat landscape facing businesses and public bodies alike. Some of the more high-profile companies sounding the alarm include Cartier, The North Face, HMRC, Glasgow City Council, and IBM.
Cartier and The North Face Breaches
Luxury retailer Cartier confirmed a data breach in early June, with hackers gaining temporary access to customer information including names, email addresses, and countries of residence. While no financial data was compromised, the incident raised concerns about phishing risks and brand trust erosion.
Similarly, The North Face fell victim to a credential stuffing attack, where hackers used previously leaked login credentials to access customer accounts. The breach exposed names, addresses, purchase histories, and contact details. Though limited to the US site, the brand’s global presence means UK customers may still be at risk if they reused passwords.
HMRC Phishing Scam Hits 100,000 Accounts
Closer to home, HM Revenue & Customs revealed that over 100,000 taxpayer accounts were compromised in a sophisticated phishing campaign. Criminals used stolen credentials to fraudulently claim £47 million in tax rebates. While HMRC acted swiftly to lock down affected accounts and assured the public that no individual suffered financial loss, the scale of the breach highlights the vulnerability of even the most secure government systems.
Glasgow City Council Disruption
On June 19, Glasgow City Council detected malicious activity on servers managed by a third-party supplier. The incident forced the council to take several digital services offline, including planning applications, parking fine payments, and bin collection schedules. While no financial data was reportedly stolen, the council is operating under the assumption that some customer data may have been exfiltrated. Investigations are ongoing, with support from Police Scotland and the National Cyber Security Centre.
IBM Cloud Vulnerabilities
While not a confirmed breach, IBM issued multiple critical security advisories in late June, affecting its Cloud Pak for Data and Watson platforms. These vulnerabilities, if exploited, could impact enterprise users globally — including UK businesses relying on IBM’s cloud infrastructure. The advisories serve as a reminder that even trusted vendors require constant scrutiny and patching.
These incidents follow high-profile attacks on Marks & Spencer and Co-op in May, which we covered in our May newsletters.
The continued targeting of retail, government, and infrastructure sectors suggests a coordinated effort by cybercriminals to exploit weak links across industries.
Staying Cyber Safe: A Call to Action for UK Businesses
As cyber threats grow in scale and sophistication, UK organisations must prioritise resilience. This means enforcing strong password policies, enabling multi-factor authentication, patching systems promptly, and educating staff on tactics such as phishing. Whether you’re a local council, SME, or a multinational luxury brand, the message is clear: cybersecurity is no longer optional — it’s operational.
If you’re a business in the north-east of England get in touch about staying cyber safe.
AI Improving Cancer Diagnosis in the NHS
Artificial intelligence continues to make waves across the UK, with June 2025 bringing a fresh wave of innovation and practical applications that are transforming public services, healthcare, and infrastructure. Some notable uses, in the last month, are aiding the field of cancer screening and diagnosis.
Faster Lung Cancer Detection Across Surrey and Sussex
A new AI tool deployed across five NHS Trusts in the Surrey, Sussex and Frimley Imaging Network is helping radiologists detect lung cancer faster and more accurately. The system, Annalise.ai, prioritises suspicious X-rays for urgent review, allowing clinicians to catch cancers earlier. One patient, diagnosed at Stage 1 within hours of her GP visit, credited the AI with potentially saving her life.
Royal Marsden Unveils Large-Scale AI Radiology Platform
Elsewhere, the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with NTT DATA and CARPL.ai, has launched a large-scale AI radiology platform to improve cancer detection. The platform will support research into AI models for diagnosing sarcoma, lung, breast, brain, and prostate cancers, aiming to enhance accuracy and speed of diagnosis across the NHS.
AI Accelerates Chest X-Ray Analysis in Yorkshire
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has also launched an AI tool designed to act as a “co-pilot” for radiologists, supporting faster and more accurate interpretation of chest X-rays. The system is capable of identifying up to 85 clinical findings, including lung cancer, acute infections, and misplaced medical devices. It can flag abnormalities swiftly and prioritise urgent cases.
As part of the Yorkshire Imaging Collaborative and funded by the NHS AI Diagnostic Fund, the initiative is already showing promising results, with one consultant reporting that the AI flagged a subtle abnormality that might have been missed on an initial human review. With over 135,000 chest X-rays performed annually at the trust, the tool is expected to significantly enhance diagnostic throughput and patient reassurance, without replacing clinical judgement.
Can AI Improve Lives?
While concerns about AI’s ethical implications and job displacement persist, these stories highlight the technology’s potential to improve lives, streamline services, and support critical sectors like healthcare. As the UK continues to invest in responsible AI development, these positive examples serve as a reminder that, when guided by transparency and purpose, AI can be a powerful force for good.
Fast Tech: The Gadget Glut Gone Wild
Remember when tech was something you cherished? Say hello to “fast tech” – cheap gizmos you grab on a whim, then ditch in drawers or the bin faster than you can say “battery low.” Material Focus reckons we bought over seven million battery-powered mini-fans last year alone, and nearly £8 million splurged on LED balloons or light-up loo seats. Shockingly, consumer spend on these throwaway toys has rocketed from £2.9 billion in 2023 to £11.6 billion today.
Treasure or Trash?
Under the plastic shells of your £1 gadget lies a stash of precious metals – think copper, gold and rare earths. Material Focus’s “drawers of doom” report warns that our cupboards could be hoarding 38,000 tonnes of copper, stranded in landfill-bound kit. Yet, these metals are exactly what drives our green-tech revolution – wind turbines, EVs and solar panels all scream for them. Mining more means more environmental wreckage just when we need fewer emissions.
Circular Economy to the Rescue?
Joe Iles from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation champions a reboot: reuse, repair, recycle. He reminds us that this binge-and-bin cycle is a shiny new habit – a blip in the last 50 years – and utterly fixable. The prescription? The “Right to Repair” – force manufacturers to design gadgets that can be fixed, not flung – and “Extended Producer Responsibility” – make brands foot the bill for their product’s entire lifecycle, from shelf to scrap heap. These levers could nudge manufacturers towards durability, schemes and second-hand markets.
Plastic fused with electronics is difficult to sort, and when end-of-life cheap tech items get tossed, poorer countries often become the unintended graveyards.
What Can Consumers Do?
- Pause Before Purchase: Do you really need that neon selfie ring?
- Seek Repairable: Hunt for brands backing up Right to Repair.
- Recycle Properly: Use official e-waste streams, not your household bin.
- Spread the Word: Fast tech isn’t just fun and games – it’s a climate headache in disguise.
Tech has never been so readily available, but, opting for quality over quantity could be the wisest, most sustainable choice to make.
Need Cyber Security?
If you’re a business in the North East of England and looking for professional and reliable cyber security services, IT consultation, and general IT services to keep your company cyber secure, get in touch. Cybersecurity is a continuous process, and staying proactive is key to safeguarding digital assets.
