INDIANAPOLIS — It could be a really "Cruel Summer" if you fall for a Taylor Swift ticket scam.
The Better Business Bureau issued an alert this week following the singer’s announcement she will be performing in Indianapolis for three nights in 2024.
Scammers know tickets are in high demand and they will be targeting Swifties with another round of scams aimed at the 2024 tour dates.
Ticketmaster will start selling tickets next week, however, not everyone will get tickets that way, which means Swifties will be looking on the resale market.
So far in 2023, BBB Scam Tracker has gotten about 30 reports involving fake Taylor Swift tickets.
Here’s how the scam works: someone you know, or just someone in your city, makes a Facebook post selling their Taylor Swift tickets.
When you message the seller, they offer you a good deal and ask you to pay using Zelle, Venmo or a similar method.
They promise that they’ll give you a full refund if anything happens with the tickets.
However, you never hear back from the seller after you send the money.
“Your tickets are never delivered, electronically or otherwise, because they never existed,” the BBB said. “And worse, if you use a digital wallet app to pay, you’ll unlikely get your money back.”
One Taylor Swift fan reported the scam to BBB Scam Tracker: “The seller told me she was a verified seller and that she was an admin in the Facebook group. The transaction took place over Zelle. After the transaction occurred, the seller failed to send me the tickets and failed to send me a refund.”
Tips from the BBB on how to avoid a Swiftie Scam:
- Only buy tickets from trusted vendors. Even if you can no longer get tickets directly from the venue or Ticketmaster, look to reputable ticket brokers before doing business with a ticket scalper (an unregulated and unlicensed ticket seller) or a random stranger on social media.
- If you think you know the seller, double-check. Scammers may hack your contacts’ accounts and pretend to be a friend or acquaintance who’s selling tickets. Before sending money, contact your friend directly to make sure the deal is real.
- Watch out for too-good-to-be-true deals. If someone claims to be selling tickets to a sold-out concert just before the date or at an amazing price, think twice. Scammers love to prey on fans of any artist or sporting event by claiming to have impossible-to-get-tickets for them.
- Use good judgment with advertisements. Some ads are scams, whether after a general internet search or in your social media feed. Be careful about clicking through and offering up personal information.
- Use your credit card. Credit cards generally offer extra protection in case you find out the tickets were a sham. You may not get your money back if you pay with your debit card, a cash transfer app, or cash.
