With concert tickets selling for big dollars and plenty more big events coming up, the Better Business Bureau is warning people about serious scams.
There are countless ways for consumers to find tickets online, with online marketplaces, ticket sellers, resellers and unfortunately, there are plenty of scammers and rip-offs.
One Chicago resident reported to BBB losing $350 on a Craigslist ticket transaction. One victim says “I reached out to the person inquiring about tickets to the Taylor Swift Eras tour in Chicago that they were supposedly selling. They were quick to reply to my texts until I sent them the money for the ticket. After I sent them the money, they stopped replying to my texts and never sent me the ticket through Ticketmaster.”
Last year, BBB received hundreds of complaints on BBB Scam Tracker about ticket scams related to sporting events, concerts, theatre, and other forms of entertainment. Hundreds more complaints were received from customers buying shoddy, counterfeit merchandise sold as official apparel.
Online purchases rank the number one riskiest scam type in BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report for the third year. With entertainment involved — often people are on a tight timeline, and emotions run high.
Follow these tips to protect yourself from ticket scams:
• Be wary of sob stories about someone selling tickets because of a family emergency, or using repetitive, overly emotional language.
• When purchasing resale tickets from an individual, only use PayPal Goods and Services for the purchase. Scammers will not be willing to use this method.
• If buying from an unknown third party, request a video call to meet the person and have them show you their tickets in the Ticketmaster app.
• When possible, only buy tickets at the box office or from the venue’s official site, and be careful because imitation sites can appear first in internet searches.
• Only deal with secure websites. These will begin with “HTTPS” and have a “lock” symbol on the address bar.
• Fake websites will offer low-price tickets to trick people into entering their credit card info. Scammers can take your money and use your credit card to purchase big-ticket items.
• Use payment methods that come with protection. Always use a credit card so you have some recourse if the tickets are not as promised.
Debit cards, wire transfers, or cash transactions are money lost if the tickets are fraudulent.
Share your scam story
If you have been the target of a scam, your first contact should be the local authorities. Also, feel free to contact us with details (we can keep your name confidential, if you wish).
Send your story to: rahnl@windomnews.com, or call 507-831-3455. Stories will appear in an upcoming edition and in our Thursday website report (or immediately online). By sharing your story, you may prevent others from being scammed.
Beware of scammers, entertainment tickets
