On June 22, 2024, Google Trends displayed a spike for users’ searches about a Ticketmaster scam email, specifically involving concerts for Taylor Swift, Coldplay and others. A search of Facebook found several posts from users confirming criminals were aggressively targeting consumers with this scheme.
In this article, I’ve compiled information about how the Ticketmaster scam email works. I’ve also gathered stories from online posts mentioning ticket scams for Taylor Swift concerts. Additionally, I’ve published details about what to do if you believe you’ve become a victim of this scam.
How the Scam Begins
According to my research, the scheme ending with the fake and not legit Ticketmaster scam email usually begins on Facebook or Instagram. Scammers might be using a legitimate-looking account with plenty of displayed friends or followers, and possibly even mutual friends.
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Meanwhile, in other cases, a scammer’s account might show various red flags. I found one scammer I’ll refer to in this story as Janet. The Facebook account for Janet displayed only a profile photo of a woman showing cleavage. The account showed no other photos ever publicly posted.
Janet listed their account’s location as Tblisi, Georgia, and advertised four Coldplay tickets for Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 30. However, Swift’s schedule for her Eras Tour doesn’t mention Croke Park or any concert on Aug. 30, 2024. The bottom of their many posts across several Facebook groups said they “turned off commenting,” likely to avoid users from calling them out for scamming. Some scammers also advertised “no scam!” in their posts. These details are all solid examples of red flags consumers might be dealing with a scammer.
Janet’s scam Facebook posts I reviewed read, “Hello 👋I am selling 4 coldplay pitch standing tickets for Aug 30th, as my cousin already bought us surprise tickets now I have mine to sell 😅please message me if you need them…” Strangely, in a separate post, Janet also claimed to have in her possession not four “standing” tickets but rather “2 coldplay pitch Sitting tickets.” Note Janet’s inclusion of emojis, the lack of capitalization for Coldplay, the difference in seating from post to post and the ask to send them a private message.
A Private Message Offer Is a Red Flag
This scheme ending with the Ticketmaster scam email usually features scammers asking to take their conversation to a private message. If a user claiming to sell tickets asks a consumer to privately message them, it’s likely a scam. That goes for Facebook (Messenger), Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram and other messaging platforms.
The best way to legitimately purchase tickets online for concerts or other big events is to go directly to big-name ticket reselling websites. Do not use private messages on social media to buy tickets for events. Purchase tickets through trustworthy websites you’ve heard of. That’s the best advice I have.
Next Step in the Scam: Cheap Tickets and Asking for Email Address
To document the Ticketmaster scam email, I posed as an interested buyer and messaged several scammers, Janet included, who claimed to offer tickets to Taylor Swift and Coldplay concerts.
The first question scammers asked was, “How many tickets are you looking for?” I told the scammers, “4 tickets.”
Next, the scammers claimed the price would only be £100 per ticket. As of June 2014, £100 equalled about $127 U.S. dollars. I agreed to the unbelievably low price.
Janet later described the tickets as “standing tickets at the front of the stage.” This claim was one of the biggest red flags. Tickets next to the stage at a Taylor Swift concert likely cost many thousands of dollars each.
At this point, Janet and the other scammers asked me for my first name, last name and email address. One of the scammers asking for my information said, “I’ll need your Ticketmaster email address and your full name so I can do the tickets personalization before it get [sic] transferred to your account.”
Additionally, Janet sent a screenshot showing a form asking for a first name, last name and email address. The top of the form displayed a tiny logo for Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina. However, the concert tickets offered were for a Taylor Swift concert scheduled outside of the U.S. Oops, Janet.
Testing the Scammers
Fully knowing I was chatting with one of the Ticketmaster scam email scammers, I asked one of them, “Wait, how do I know this isn’t a scam? I just want to be sure.” The scammer responded, “Just to be sure nobody will get scammed, you can make a deposit of £50 firsts [sic] but please promise to send the rest once you get the tickets.”
Again, I pretended, “I want to send the money but I’m afraid you won’t send the tickets.” The scammer responded, “You can’t get scammed. Don’t be scared of sending money ok.”
At this point, in my conversation with Janet, they sent me a screenshot as purported proof of their legitimacy. However, the screenshot simply showed a chat message and did not prove anything regarding Janet having legitimacy.
The true test of a scammer is asking if they’ll go live on their camera to show they are the person in their profile photo. Naturally, the scammers told me no. At that point, I ended the chat sessions with the scammers.
If I had paid the requested funds via PayPal or another payment method, the scammers likely would have sent me a copy of a Ticketmaster scam email. (Examples of the fake email are shown in several screenshots in this article.)
Facebook User Spots Fake Tickets: Here’s How
My research found plenty of examples of users experiencing scam attempts for concert tickets for Taylor Swift, Coldplay and other bands.
In a Facebook group named Taylor Swift ERAS Tour Tickets, a user named Camille posted, “Be careful this person pretends to be selling tickets, but it’s a scam (look at the email address).” The email address Camille referenced displayed not as an official Ticketmaster account but rather as “www.ticketmaster.com@gmail.com.”
Ticketmaster email addresses do not end with “@gmail.com.” Additionally, watch out for other signs of fakery, including semicolons where colons should appear in times of day, concert dates and venues not mentioned on bands’ official websites, and other red flags.
In 2017, Ticketmaster.com published an article including a bit about how the company’s email addresses all end in “@ticketmaster.com.” Any other email senders creating messages from other domains and claiming to be Ticketmaster are not telling the truth.
‘Karma Is a Scammed, Scorned Swiftie’
On June 3, a Facebook user named Jenny claimed to have shamed a scammer into returning her money.
Jenny originally posted the following story in a publicly-displayed post:
Karma is a scammed, scorned Swiftie
**Update – I shamed the scammer into returning the money on Venmo **
Being a victim of a scam was not something I ever thought I’d be. This person posted on their multi-year old FB profile, had mutual friends with me, and sent email confirmation of their tickets from ticketmaster to prove they matched. It was as safe and valid as you could be when exchanging concert tickets.
However, once payment went through, the tickets were not sent, and the payment was unable to be canceled. Hook line and sinker I fell right into the trap.
Resale of tickets needs to happen through the app. I’m just a girl trying to go see her favorite artist, and now I’m using valuable police and venmo support time to try and recover money all because of something that is completely avoidable if Ticketmaster conducted resales through their app.
Stop the price gouging and resale scams so we can all enjoy concerts again.
Karma is a scammed, scorned Swiftie
I would appreciate sharing this post to spread awareness of scams and hopefully get some change from Facebook or Ticketmaster because this is far too common and preventable.
Jenny’s post also featured several screenshots purportedly showing the scammer’s Facebook account, chat messages and more information.
Don’t Fall for Recovery Scammers
Account recovery scammers prowl online, claiming to hold access to special tools to retrieve your lost money or regain entry to locked social media or email accounts.
Comments on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other platforms are the primary locations where account recovery scammers hunt for victims. In an example I’ve made up, an account recovery scammer might add a comment under a post reading, “Well my friend and hero @bob123 on Instagram will be glad to help you!”
A random user is not going to be able to recover any of your money or an online account. All account recovery scammers will do is ask you to send them a fee so they can supposedly perform the work to recover your money or account. Once they have the money, the scam is complete.
Advice Regarding Ticketmaster Scams
Ticketmaster.com hosts several articles aimed at helping advise consumers about costly scams. Those articles include “Common ticket scams to avoid,” “How do Ticketmaster and Live Nation handle fraud?” and “What if I find a suspicious site or email claiming to be Ticketmaster?”
One of the most comprehensive articles for scam advice on Ticketmaster.com displays the headline, “How to Protect Yourself Against Ticketing Scams.” Three best practices mentioned in the article include buying tickets from official sources, always double-checking the website you’re viewing and “be careful when buying from individuals on social media or other unofficial platforms.”
Scammers running the Ticketmaster scam email might prefer PayPal. If anyone reading this article believes they have been a victim of a scam involving PayPal, please visit this page on PayPal.com.
If any readers wish to share further insight regarding the Ticketmaster scam email scheme, please submit comments below.