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Denver mom loses $1,000 in Taylor Swift ticket scam

As of Wednesday afternoon, the cheapest pair of tickets on StubHub were about $1,000 each.

DENVER — Taylor Swift plays two shows at Empower Field at Mile High this weekend and if you're a fan who still hasn't purchased a ticket – it will cost you. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, the cheapest pair of tickets on StubHub were priced about $1,000 each.  A thousand dollars is about how much one Denver mom spent earlier this week on tickets, yet she and her daughters are still missing the show. 

"I’m kind of cautious, I sort of lived enough years to know that there are a lot of bad people out there and I never would have expected that I would get caught up in something like this," said Carrie, a Denver mom who does not want to use her last name. "I always hear these stories and think, 'Oh, that person was naïve' or was really thinking it would never be me and here I am, it happened to me."

On Monday, Carrie said a close friend messaged her on Facebook and said she just got word her other friend was selling three Swift tickets at face value. 

"So then I asked my friend, 'OK, how do we know these are real?' So she communicates to her friend, 'These are real right?' And her friend said, 'Yea, these are 100% real," she explained as she looked over the message exchange her friend sent her. The problem was the person her friend was communicating with wasn't authentic. Carrie didn't find out until after she sent $1000 through Venmo.  

Credit: Jaleesa Irizarry

"[My] friend called her friend that she thought she was communicating with and her friend notified her that someone had hacked her Facebook account and it wasn't actually her that she was communicating with and it was all a scam," she explained. 

The scam busted what should have been a memorable weekend. Carrie's youngest daughter's birthday was Tuesday and her other daughter's birthday was in a couple of weeks. 

"We thought we’d have a fun mom-daughter outing to Taylor Swift," she explained. "I just never thought that a friend's Facebook page would be hacked. So I would just put a warning out there to all those people to be weary of those situations too." 

Credit: Jaleesa Irizarry

The Attorney General's Office put out an advisory this week. It warned people about scams for the Swift shows. According to the AG's Office the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has received does of complaints nationwide involving Taylor Swift ticket sales. 

Here are tips for buying tickets that will help you be alert to scams, according to BBB and AG Phil Weiser's office:

  • Only buy tickets from trusted vendors. Research the ticket seller before you hand over your money. Tickets are sold out on Ticketmaster, but look for a reputable ticket broker instead of a ticket scalper or unregulated ticket seller.
  • 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.
  • Watch out for too-good-to-be-true deals. If someone claims to be selling tickets to a sold-out concert or at an amazing price, think twice and use good judgment.
  • Watch out for advertisements. Some ads on a general internet search or your social media feed are scams. Be careful before clicking through and offering up your personal information
  • Use your credit card. Credit cards generally offer extra protection in case you find out the tickets were a scam. You might not get your money back if you pay with your debit card, a cash transfer app or cash.
  • Understand the all-in price. Sometimes the advertised price of the ticket is much lower than the true price because of add-on fees. Be sure to understand the full cost, including fees.
  • Check the details before buying. For events that have assigned seats, make sure the ticket provides all the necessary information like section, row, seat, disability access, etc.
  • Verify your tickets after purchase. After you buy tickets, inspect them to make sure the time, date and location are correct. Be cautious of paper or emailed tickets. If you're offered paper or emailed tickets to a venue that only accepts mobile tickets, the offer may be a scam.

Carrie did file a claim with Venmo but she's not sure if they will be able to do anything. She said she and her daughters will likely get away on Saturday to avoid all the Taylor Swift madness. Her advice for those still looking for affordable tickets this weekend is a classic, if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. 

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