HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — People across Tampa Bay are fighting to their money back from scammers pretending to sell Taylor Swift concert tickets.
Many weren’t able to originally buy them when they went on sale because of issues with Ticketmaster.
Jen Smith nearly lost hundreds to a scammer that claimed to have Swift tickets.
Smith said, “$660 is a lot of money."
“It’s Taylor Swift. I was excited. I thought this was an opportunity to get tickets because I, like so many other people, had done the presale and tried and didn’t, so unfortunately, it didn’t work out for me,” said Smith.
Smith said she saw someone post they were selling their concert tickets for $330 each in a neighborhood Facebook group that she’s part of. She messaged them and asked for proof they had the tickets.
“They sent me a screenshot of them hovering over the ticket selected, like ‘I’m just waiting for you to transfer the money so I can transfer the tickets,’ and I’m like okay, I think this is legit," said Smith.
They then decided she’d send the money via PayPal.
“They asked me to select ‘Friends and Family’ for the PayPal payment, which I did not do. I actually chose the 'Goods and Services’ option,” said Smith.
The Friends and Family payment option on PayPal comes with a disclaimer that warns not to send money to people you don’t know.
Smith told ABC Action news the seller got mad when she chose the Goods and Services option instead. She was able to cancel her payment when they didn't send her the tickets.
She believes she wouldn’t have been able to get her money back otherwise.
“So it was an unfortunate learning lesson that I felt like I should share because I was worried it might have already happened to other people,” said Smith.
It’s a lesson Curtis Serata and his wife, Daniele Serata, learned too.
“The seller had a story that seemed reliable,” said Curtis.
He also saw someone post on Facebook about selling Taylor Swift tickets.
He, too, asked for proof of tickets and tried to verify the seller’s identity; he even offered to make a small payment first to see if the sale was legitimate.
“I said well, why don’t I send $50, you send a ticket, we’ll send the rest and you send me the other ticket. So I sent the first one and he sent a virtual ticket but you can’t check a QR code on your phone,” said Curtis.
Then his wife went ahead and submitted the second payment for the rest of the money through Zelle, about $440 total.
“Then he just went black. Shut everything off, blocked everybody, so there was no more communication at that point,” said Curtis.
“The fact that I had my wife’s hopes up, and then the rug was yanked out from underneath our feet,” he added.
He and his wife immediately filed a police report but still can’t get their money back.
Daniele said she really wanted to go to the concert but getting scammed out of tickets is about more than just missing the show.
“I’m also more upset that my husband is a school teacher who is already on a school teacher salary paying for things for his own students. We have two kids, four dogs, and a house to take care of, and this person just literally stole over $400 from us. I’m very angry about it,” said Daniele.
Unfortunately, these stories are not unique. Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Services see them a lot.
Officials said as we get closer to Taylor Swift’s concert dates in Tampa, scams will increase even more.
“These fraudsters are out there all the time trying to take advantage of people and get at their good, hard-earned money,” said Eric Olsen with Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Services.
Experts suggest avoiding peer-to-peer payment apps like Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App, if possible when paying someone you don’t know because it can be hard to get your money back.
“Even PayPal has certain limitations and you’re going to have to work to get the money back,” said Olsen.
Other tips include:
- Be cautious of social media posts — that’s where experts are targeting people most.
- If they’re trying to pressure you into paying, that’s a red flag.
- Always use your credit card when making these types of purchases because they have extra payment protection.
- Try calling the venue; sales agents can give you different options.
- Check out reputable sellers and brokers.
“Sellers and brokers are also often times members of the National Association of Ticket Brokers. That’s a great resource that consumers should check into if they’re going to go with a seller or broker or reseller,” said Olsen.
