Taylor Swift concert fans beware: Scammers targeting this weekend's shows in Houston
HOUSTON - A warning for Taylor Swift fans to lookout for scams if they’re trying to purchase tickets for any of the three nights of concerts in Houston.
"We are seeing a lot of people contacting us about ticket scams relating to the Taylor Swift concert," said Leah Napoliellio from the Better Business Bureau in Houston. "People are going online various places and stumbling across ticket scams. It’s something people looking for tickets need to be aware of."
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One woman from Anderson, Texas says she had been trying to find tickets to Saturday’s show in Houston for her daughter’s 15th birthday. After finding tickets on sale for $300 each on Facebook, Liliana Macias exchanged several messages with the seller. They exchanged information and photos of the apparent tickets.
"She sent a picture with the tickets," said Macias. "You never think the other people are going to be bad."
Macias says she sent the seller $300 via Cash App for one of the tickets. However, the seller never shared the ticket’s barcode information. As Macias demanded the barcode and information on the second ticket, or a refund, the seller disappeared.
"It’s so frustrating because I want to give [my daughter] everything," said Macias. "If it’s her dream, I’m going to fight for that. I worked so hard for them. [The scammers] don’t know how hard you work to get money."
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Macias had requested off work for the show, but is now hesitant to purchase more tickets after having $300 taken from her.
To avoid becoming a scam victim, officials recommend only buying tickets from legitimate businesses online.
"The best thing to do is to shop on legitimate official sites," said Napoliellio. "Either the Taylor Swift site or official business resellers of tickets."
Macias says she still hopes to find real tickets to a Taylor Swift concert this weekend in Houston.
"I don’t care if I have to drive eight hours and go back to work Monday, because it’s [my daughter’s dream].