KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Whether you’re a Taylor Swift fan or not, the demand to go to her concert is unmatched.
Last year. TicketMaster’s website crashed after tickets to her show went on sale. A congressional hearing was held as a result. Fast forward to a week until her upcoming KC shows and the cheapest tickets start at $1,200.
“I love Taylor so much. Her music is just so good and she’s such a lyrical genius,” said Kenzie Baxley, a self-proclaimed Swiftie.
Baxley was one of the many Taylor Swift fans who flocked to the Country Club Plaza on Tuesday after Capital One Cafe announced they would be giving away tickets to her upcoming KC show.
“I am the ultimate Swiftie,” Houda Matar exclaimed outside the cafe. “I’ve been listening to her since middle school. I’ve been with her since her debut album, have followed her with every single album that she’s come out with, I think she is a true artist.”
Baxley and Matar have yet to score tickets and as they continue to hunt, scammers are taking notice.
Baxley said she almost got scammed during her quest to score tickets.
“There was a guy and he was like, ‘yeah, we have tickets’ and we were trying to get in because we really want to go really bad and it ended up being a scam,” Baxley said.
The demand for Swift’s popular show is causing police departments across the metro to sound the alarm. Over the weekend, Lenexa police said a woman went on Facebook Market Place and saw a post to get four tickets to Taylor Swift for $1,000 total, making each ticket $250. According to police, the woman transferred the money through Venmo before realizing the tickets were fake.
“People aren’t thinking clearly,” said Danny Chavez, public information officer with the Lenexa Police Department. “Rather than thinking clearly and vetting the transaction, people make hasty decisions and that’s when often they fall victim.”
Lenexa police thinks tickets scams for Taylor Swift will only increase as KC gets closer to the concert.
The department is sharing reminders to help folks avoid getting duped.
They say if a deal seems too good to be true, be cautious. Look for grammar mistakes and try your best to get tickets from a reputable source. Know your vendor, do your research and if you are unfamiliar with a particular ticket seller, research the seller on the attorney general’s or Better Business Bureau’s website for any complaints and use a credit card since it can offer additional protections.
Lenexa police say they’re investigating the recent scam, but online scams are tough since perpetrators use fake names and may not be in the same country.
“It’s very unfortunate for her and we hear of others around the metro that have fallen victim to these types of schemes,” Chavez said.
