Rockford BBB Warns Of Taylor Swift Concert Ticket Scams

If my 25 year old daughter Molly is any representation of her age group (and she is), the idea of scoring some tickets to catch Taylor Swift on her current tour is the stuff that dreams are made of.

However, with hundreds of thousands of her peers wanting the same thing, my daughter quickly learned that these tickets are going for thousands of dollars each, and those hundreds of thousands of other Taylor Swift fans (Swifties) are scrambling to get their hands on tickets to the Eras Tour as much, if not more, than Molly is.

When you have a supply and demand issue like this, there are always going to be those who want to capitalize on it, and breaking the law by screwing over others is just fine with them.

The Rockford Better Business Bureau (BBB) Is Seeing The BBB Scamtracker Light Up With Dozens Of Complaints Of Consumers Losing Their Money Across The Country, including Chicago, where Taylor Swift Is Playing Next Week

The Rockford BBB expects sweeping scam attempts because of this year’s major artist line-up in Chicago and across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. You've got Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Madonna, Dave Matthews, Bruce Springsteen and more. Plus, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, Ravinia, Summerfest, and other venues are wildly popular. Many online platforms are already flooded with tickets for sale.

The mega concerts and major festivals this year provide con artists with lucrative opportunities to steal fans’ money, identity, tickets, and the good time they were hoping for.

Rockford BBB Director Dennis Horton:

One of the first things to do in advance is to be on the lookout for fake websites, tickets,
and merchandise. You don’t want to show up at the gate after waiting months and paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, only to find out your ticket is fake.

Tickets and QR codes for entry may never be detected as fakes until you’re left standing at the gate. Not only do scammers take money from consumers, but they also are taking money from legitimate businesses.

Here Are A Few Tips From The BBB To Avoid Being Scammed On Concert Tickets To Taylor Swift, Or Anyone Else You'd Like To Go See

• Buy tickets at the box office or from the venue’s official site and be careful because imitation sites can appear first in internet searches.
• Only deal with secure websites. These will begin with “HTTPS” and have a “lock” symbol on the address bar.
• Fake websites will offer tickets at low prices to trick people into entering their credit card info. Scammers can take your money and use your credit card to purchase big-ticket items.
• Counterfeit-forwarded electronic tickets with forged barcodes look very professional with a copy and pasted logo of the actual ticket company. You will be denied access when you arrive at the concert and the scammer is long gone.
• Another devious trick: Fraudsters will copy and paste an actual electronic ticket and then “sell” it to many purchasers, all of whom get denied at the gate.
• Use extra caution buying tickets sold on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or other free online listings. Buying tickets on these types of sites, from people you do not know is similar to buying tickets in a dark alley.
• Use payment methods that come with protection. Always use a credit card, so you have some recourse if the tickets are not as promised. Debit cards, wire transfers, or cash transactions are money lost if the tickets are fraudulent.
• Red flag: Scammers use high pressure and low prices to make fast sales knowing people are desperate to see the show.

Here are some more valuable tips: