The Lower Mainland's Better Business Bureau is warning of potential Taylor Swift ticket scams after one was reported to them in Vancouver.
Swift is set to end her Eras Tour in Vancouver with three concerts Dec. 6 to 8. The dates are sold out, but websites such as Craigslist have resales for single tickets ranging in price from $2,000 to $6,000.
But the Better Business Bureau serving the Lower Mainland said a story was reported to its scam tracker that in Vancouver a profile was hacked and then impersonated. The BBB said the scammers allegedly sold fake Swift ticket to fans who were hoping to attend the tour.
"My [social media platform] was hacked. The person put 2nd [factor] authentication on it so I'm not able to gain access. They posted Taylor Swift tickets for sale, took over my [platform] messenger and proceeded to pretend to be me when people inquired," the post to BBB's scam tracker reads.
The person said the scammer managed to get $2,000 from people "for these nonexistent concert tickets," and those are just the incidents the person who was hacked is aware of.
"Many people reported my page. They got a response saying no wrongdoing was happening and my page is still up. I have reported it as well. I’m, of course, upset that I’ve lost many memories, but I'm more upset that people are being scammed out of thousands of dollars."
In Ontario, Toronto police arrested a Burlington woman for allegedly selling about $70,000 worth of fraudulent Taylor Swift concert tickets to 28 people. She is alleged to have posed as a "Denise Blackhawk" to use Facebook Marketplace to sell tickets for the six concert dates in Toronto.
Now, the Better Business Bureau is providing some tips when buying tickets to a big show:
• Only buy tickets from trusted vendors. Even if tickets are no longer available from the venue or authorized ticket sellers, look to reputable ticket brokers before doing business with a scalper.
• If you think you know the seller, double check. Scammers could hack you contacts' accounts and pretend to be a friend or acquaintance.
• Watch out for "too-good-to-be-true deals." 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 ads as some can be scams.
• Use a credit card to pay because they usually offer extra protection in the case the tickets were a scam. You may not get your money back if you pay by debit, crash transfer app or cash.
– With files from The Canadian Press
