Many people are looking forward to fun festivals this summer. As usual, scammers are taking advantage of the building excitement. This time, they are cashing in with phony tickets—and even fake events.
How the scam works
You see a fantastic deal on tickets to a summer festival in your area, usually through a link on social media. The event promises live music, all-you-can-eat meals, craft beer or wine, or other fun activities.
When you click the social media link, it takes you to a professional website with fantastic pictures. You enter your credit card information to buy tickets, and you think you are all set. But before you buy, do a little research. Whether the event is non-existent, merely disappointing, or you just bought phony tickets, the result is the same: someone pockets your hard-earned money!
BBB Scam Tracker has received numerous reports from people who purchased fake tickets to real events or bought tickets to events that never materialized.
A customer in Memphis reported buying tickets for $82.50 to a “Bubble Run” in June 2022 that never happened: “Facebook event page advertised the Bubble run as a free event. I purchased 4 ‘entries’ with glasses and tutus and they charged my debit card. They then cancelled the event refuse to respond to emails. They are still advertising on Facebook like the event is happening.”
One consumer who purchased tickets to a fake beer crawl reported: “Reviews across multiple platforms make it clear that these…
