A WOMAN has been scammed while trying to buy Taylor Swift concert tickets on Facebook Marketplace.
Fraudsters often use the lure of concerts and sports games tickets to scam people out of their hard earned cash.
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“I really really want to go see Taylor Swift, like so many of us who didn’t get tickets, so much so that I think it’s clouded my judgement a little bit,” said Amelia McCall, under the TikTok username @mothersewsbest.
There were several tickets up for grabs on Facebook Marketplace, ranging from $1,000-$3,000 dollars.
But then McCall stumbles across two cheap tickets selling for $130 and $180 – much more within her price range.
She messages both sellers asking if the tickets are still available.
But it turns out it is the same seller marketing Taylor Swift tickets for concerts in two separate cities.
The seller, going by the name of Alexander, says it was a classic “family effort” in trying to buy the tickets – which resulted in a surplus.
He added that he will transfer the tickets via Ticketmaster.
McCall then asks for an order confirmation email or a screenshot of the tickets – so she has proof that they exist.
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“It looked pretty legit,” she said. “I know a lot of people who bought them for multiples and you’re left with extra tickets.”
She then asks the seller if she can pay via PayPal’s Goods and Services option – which lets users claim money back if they’ve been scammed.
However, the seller said he doesn’t use PayPal and instead looking for “in person transactions”.
This gave McCall a sense of reassurance.
But McCall didn’t want to commit to a three-hour drive to make the payment and get the tickets.
Satisfied with the seller’s answers to her questions, she agrees to a payment via Google Pay.
Except, as soon as it’s complete – the seller blocks her.
“I was just so irate for the rest of the day,” she said.
“But do you not agree that this guy made it look so legit, or am I just super naïve and stupid?”
Google has advised against making payments of this nature.
“If you reach out to express interest, the scammer may request that you transfer money first or even show you a fake shipping receipt that the item is on its way,” said Google.
“Then, the scammer will keep the money, and never give you what you paid for.”
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