(WGHP) — Jayme Johnson wanted her son’s first concert to be one he’d never forget: Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour. She tried to get tickets when they went on sale but wasn’t successful. Then a friend told her about a social media post.
“We are aware that these scams happen, so we’re looking at her profile pic with a baby,” Johnson said. “She seems so sweet. She has 450 friends. She was local.”
Everything about the woman’s Facebook page looked legit, because it was. Her page had a post about Taylor Swift concert tickets for sale.
“Wow,” Johnson said. “I’m going to get this experience with my son, His first concert. This will be great.”
Johnson bought two tickets for $650. The seller asked her to use Venmo or Zelle which are cash transfer apps.
Johnson told FOX8, “I went ahead and I sent the money through and I knew with Zelle that it’s immediate.”
But she didn’t immediately get the tickets.
Johnson messaged the seller and repeatedly asked about her purchase, only to be met with excuse after excuse. Until finally, she asked for a refund.
“As soon as I said that they blocked me on Messenger, and they did the same to my friend, and we had no way of communicating,” Johnson said.
That’s when Johnson knew she wasn’t getting tickets. She’d been scammed, and she wasn’t the only one. The Facebook account posting about the tickets had been hacked.
“She had her account hacked,” Johnson said. “Her mom had been posting on Facebook saying, ‘Hey guys, if you get a weird message or see posts from my daughter about Taylor Swift tickets, it’s a scam. They had hacked in and were acting as her and scamming people.’”
Johnson said, “You always hear of these things and think I’m smarter than that and think that’ll never happen to me and well, it did.”
Best way to protect yourself?
- Buy tickets from a verified seller. Ticket resellers should have a consumer protection policy and be registered with the National Association of Ticket Brokers.
- Read their policy and make sure they’ll refund your money if the ticket turns out to be fake.
- Use your credit card. It’s the payment method that offers the best fraud protection.
If you are in North Carolina and have concerns about your ticket purchase or the seller, file a complaint with the North Carolina Department of Justice office’s Consumer Protection Division by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or by visting the North Carolina Department of Justice website.
