One South Florida woman is sounding the alarm about potential scammers after she nearly lost $1,200 trying to purchase Taylor Swift concert tickets from a woman in a private, local Facebook group.
The group has approximately 5,000 members, and is moderated by a group of women who help ensure a positive, uplifting online environment. That’s what through Katie Love off guard.
“When I saw this post in a Facebook group that I trusted…and the woman said that she bought extra tickets, that she was so excited, that she wanted to give them away, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is my opportunity!” Love said, speaking exclusively with NBC6. “I had seen her in concert, but I own my own social media agency, and I really wanted to give four tickets away to my team, and so, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to be a good boss.”
Instead, Love almost lost more than $1,000.
She asked the seller to send her screenshots of the electronic ticket stubs to confirm that they existed. The seller did so, but then noted that there were several prospective buyers inquiring about the tickets, and that Love needed to act quickly. As Love would later find out through the aforementioned Facebook group, several other women had contacted the seller about the tickets.
“It showed her name, same as the name on Facebook. I saw the barcode. I saw the seat section,” Love said. “But I realized when she stopped responding after I sent her that Venmo that things had gotten terribly wrong, and I started panicking. I was messaging her over and over.”
Taylor Swift is known for baring her soul in her music, especially when it comes to love.
Love said the seller eventually blocked her on Facebook. Once the moderators of the private group were informed of what had happened, the seller was removed. But Love, a former journalist who knew to remain skeptical of the interaction, said this experience serves as a cautionary tale for others.
“There’s no protection when it comes to giving your money up on an app like Venmo,” she said. “I called them, I emailed them, several times, and they said there was really nothing, once that money left my bank account, for me to do.”
Thinking quickly, though, Love was able to contact her bank and remove Venmo’s access to her accounts, thereby freezing the $1,200 transfer. But that action has also left Love unable to use Venmo, and without Taylor Swift tickets for her employees.
NBC6 reached out to the alleged scammer on Facebook, as well as the individual listed to her husband and linked to her profile, but has not received a response from either account.
A spokesperson with Venmo denied NBC6’s request for an interview, but shared information about avoiding scams such as this in general — which can and do happen on other payment apps, as well — including to never make a payment to an unknown individual, and to select Venmo’s Purchase Protection option. Although the latter can help prevent buyers from losing money in the event of an incident such as what Love experienced, the seller pays a fee on the protection.
“Now, I know the signs. Number one, if you want to get a ticket from Ticketmaster, have them transfer it directly into your Ticketmaster account. So, you would go into Ticketmaster, hit ‘transfer,’ and I shouldn’t have had to pay Venmo, PayPal, anything,” Love said. “I’m someone who likes to believe the best in people. But, right now, I think it’s just something to be hyper aware of; if you are trying to get these tickets or any other highly coveted tickets that there are scammers out there who are ready to pounce on your interest.”
