Watch out for Taylor Swift ticket scams in Detroit, Dana Nessel warns
- Taylor Swift will play two nights at Detroit’s Ford Field this weekend
- Fans have reported thousands of dollars lost to ticket scams at previous tour stops
- AG Nessel encourages ticket buyers to take extra precautions and report scams to her office
Attorney General Dana Nessel is saying “I Knew You Were Trouble” to ticket scammers, warning fans of Taylor Swift of scams related to the singer’s two concerts in Detroit this weekend.
“With the re-emergence of live concerts after the pandemic, it’s important to take precautions to avoid bad actors who will take advantage of fans’ desire to see their favorite performer in concert,” the press release reads.
Swift will play two nights at Ford Field Friday and Saturday in the Detroit stop of her national Eras Tour. Thousands of eager Swift fans, dubbed ‘Swifties,’ have anticipated the pop star’s return to Detroit after her last tour in 2018.
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Massive demand for the Eras Tour resulted in a disastrous presale that crashed Ticketmaster’s website and led to a congressional hearing about the vendor and its ‘monopoly’ on the ticketing industry. Some fans even sued Ticketmaster for their handling of the sale.
For the thousands unable to buy from Ticketmaster during the initial sale, online resale became their only chance to see Swift in concert.
But fraudulent sellers looking to take advantage of Swifties’ excitement have already swindled fans out of thousands of dollars at previous tour stops.
One Swiftie spent hundreds to buy resale tickets for the singer’s show in Atlanta, but was blocked by the seller upon arrival and never received her tickets.
Melanie Duquesnel, president of the Better Business Bureau serving eastern Michigan, told Bridge Michigan that buying from verified sellers, using a credit card and checking the venue’s seating are good strategies for avoiding scams.
When a ticket is resold on verified vendors Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats, the barcode is changed, Duquesnel said. This invalidates any previous barcodes for that seat, providing an extra layer of security over buying from a third-party “guy on the corner” seller.
Duquesnel also said scammers might pose as friends or acquaintances on social media platforms such as Facebook to sell phony tickets at a far lower cost than listed resale prices.
Tactics such as these have led to the BBB already receiving nearly 200 Eras Tour-related complaints.
If you’re on the hunt for last-minute tickets, here’s how you can avoid being scammed:
- Make sure the web address exactly matches that of the reputable vendor.
- Research the vendor via the AG’s Consumer Protection Team or the Better Business Bureau.
- Verify that the web address starts with https (not http) when entering personal and payment information.
- Use a credit card instead of cash or payment apps.
- Examine the time, date and location on the tickets to ensure that they’re correct.
Nessel encourages Michiganders to report any ticket scams to the AG Consumer Protection Team, which can be reached at 517-335-7599.
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