Liverpool said it has deactivated 145,000 ticket accounts in the last two years as part of their efforts to combat ticket touting.
Additionally, the club said it issued a record 1,114 lifetime bans last season after uncovering widespread manipulation of ticket purchasing software.
The Premier League champions also announced that 500 individuals were denied entry to Anfield in the past year for attempting to enter with burner phones, devices used by touts to evade ticket tracking.
This announcement action follows a recent BBC Sport investigation that revealed a large-scale black market for Premier League tickets.
While re-selling tickets is illegal in the UK, many websites continue to operate by being based overseas.
The BBC’s investigation found that resellers frequently employ software and fake identities to acquire hundreds of tickets, which they then sell at inflated prices, negatively affecting fans’ chances of obtaining tickets through official channels or membership ballots.
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This situation can force supporters to pay exorbitant prices or leave them out of pocket after purchasing invalid tickets, while also compromising fan segregation.
Liverpool’s investigators also shut down 162 social media groups, which collectively had over a million members, involved in selling fake tickets or reselling legitimate tickets at excessive prices.
On match days, nearly 400 targeted interventions were made to prevent entry for accounts exhibiting suspicious behavior.
The 1,114 lifetime bans represent a significant increase from the 75 bans issued during the 2023-24 season.
During the same season, Liverpool closed 100,000 fraudulent accounts and believes that new preventive measures, such as multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and advanced fraud analysis tools, have contributed to this improvement.
The club, which has over 30,000 season ticket holders, has an official sanctions process where senior officials and a representative from an independent supporter association review cases and determine appropriate actions.
Most of the lifetime bans and indefinite suspensions were related to unauthorized selling of season tickets, memberships, or hospitality tickets.
Liverpool is among several clubs committed to enhancing resources to combat ticket touting.
Arsenal reported canceling nearly 74,000 accounts attempting to acquire tickets unlawfully and banning over 7,000 memberships this season. Chelsea claimed to have blocked more than 350,000 bot-driven purchase attempts.
However, Tom Greatrex, head of the Football Supporters Association, expressed concerns to BBC Sport about the commitment of some Premier League clubs to effectively address ticket touting.
“Long-term supporters are finding it increasingly difficult to secure tickets due to the current distribution methods,” he stated.
