North Vancouver RCMP say Taylor Swift ticket scams are creating ‘bad blood’

NORTH VANCOUVER — Mounties in North Vancouver are warning the public to be extra vigilant when it comes to bogus online scams involving the sale of tickets to upcoming Taylor Swift concerts, saying the nefarious scams are creating “bad blood.”

According to a statement released by police Thursday (Dec. 21), North Vancouver RCMP say they have received two reported incidents where victims responded to ads for Taylor Swift tickets on Facebook Marketplace. In each case, when e-transfer payments were made, the “seller” stopped all communication. The scammer then usually blocked the victim’s social media account or deleted the fake account, leaving the buyer without their money or tickets, and unable to seek much recourse. Similar scams have been circulating throughout the Lower Mainland and Canada.

In the first incident of fraud, the victim found an ad online and contacted the seller for an agreed price of $1,020 for the tickets. The victim e-transferred the money and the suspect sent an email with a wallet attachment, but no actual instructions for a Ticketmaster transfer. Once the victim inquired further, the suspect terminated all contact with the buyer.

In the second instance of fraud, the victim responded to an ad on Facebook Marketplace for four tickets. The seller and victim communicated for an agreed price of $1,400. The victim electronically sent money to the seller, who greedily then requested $400 more. The seller finally sent the tickets to the victim via email but did not provide a pass code to redeem the tickets. Shortly after, the seller stopped responding to the victim, who is now out $1,800.