INDIANA — A concert ticket scam is robbing people of their hard-earned money and a good time.
In the current scam, a "seller" posts on Facebook that they have tickets to the Morgan Wallen concert at Ruoff Music Center on Thursday, June 16.
Once the person buying sends money, tickets are never sent. Instead, they are blocked on the app.
Morgan Wallen concert tickets are going for top dollar, which is why the Facebook post caught their attention.
The person posting is selling tickets for $100.
Two Greenwood residents WRTV spoke to fell for the scam.
"It did sound too good to be true at first, but we were also like maybe if she's just trying to get rid of them," Maggie Stanley said.
The poster told both women similar stories.
"She told me that her mom had passed away and that she had to go out of town for the funeral," Kennedy Syx said.
Stanley heard a similar story.
"The reason why she couldn't go to the concert was because her mom passed away," Stanley said.
Both women were excited to go to the concert.
"We were almost in tears we were so excited that we could've been able to go," Stanley said. "Just because we love Morgan Wallen, we love Hardy and we would have had our little girl dream come true moment."
WRTV searched for tickets on Facebook and found dozens of the same exact posts on several different local groups, all with a different seller's name.
"It's angering because they're getting so much money from people who want to go out and have a good time and have these kinds of experiences with friends and family and it's like you're taking that away from them," Stanley said.
Industry leaders provided tips on things to look for when buying tickets online.
- Don't go with the first post you see online
- Slow down when purchasing
- Go to the official venue's website
- Avoid 3rd party vendors
WRTV asked questions to the industry leader:
What should consumers look for when purchasing tickets online?
- Accountability, reputable veterans, trusted websites, one should be protected if they pay with a credit card (can dispute the charge if you do not receive what you paid for)
- Do business with people you know, like, & trust
How do you know if your ticket is legitimate?
- Ticketmaster/Livenation has an 80% market share and most tickets are now mobile transfer tickets
- Old-fashioned card stock tickets are a thing of the past except for the Indianapolis 500
What are your warnings to consumers when it comes to buying tickets from third-party vendors?
- Do not Venmo or pay cash
Tips and tricks you should look for when someone’s posting about selling a ticket?
- Steer clear of Craig’s List for tickets – a lot of predatory sellers on there.
It's not easy to get money back in these instances.
WRTV reached out to Venmo who said documentation is key, turn on secure payment when sending money if you are buying a good. They also recommend never sending money to anyone you don't know.
