Experts issue warning about scammers ahead of Taylor Swift concerts
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Hours from now, one of the most anticipated concerts of the year will be coming to Chicago.
Crews at Soldier Field have been hard at work setting up for Taylor Swift's concerts on Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night, as part of her "The Eras" tour.
The hype for Taylor is high – and so is the chance of online vendors taking advantage of fans.
An estimated 50,000 people are expected for nightly for the Taylor Swift concerts. While the three-night stand doesn't start until Friday night, Swifties were already in long lines on Thursday to get tour merchandise.
"I even got the merchandise ahead of time from her site," said Rebecca Noonan.
Noonan was ready to drive in from Crystal Lake for the Taylor Swift experience. She purchased her ticket back in March from a legitimate ticket broker.
"Then at the last minute, it's like pulled out from under me," Noonan said, "and so now, if you go to any of the broker sites, you can't get a ticket for that price anymore - not even close."
Despite paying for her ticket and having a receipt, a week before the concert, the ticket broker told Noonan someone else had purchased her ticket for twice as much.
"I've never had this experience with a broker before in my life," Noonan said. "They will just pull your ticket and give it to somebody else. So even though you think you've secured it, it's not necessarily yours."
Steve Bernas, president and chief executive officer of the Better Business of Chicago and Northern Illinois, had a warning.
A lot of times, consumers rely on, 'Hey, it's electronic tickets now – it's going to be a lot safer."
But Bernas said you're not safe until you have a ticket in hand.
"Basically, the key to this is buying from the venue itself - whatever the concert may be - or a licensed ticket broker," Bernas said.
Noonan did, in fact, use a licensed ticket broker – yet the price still jumped. She did get a full refund, but it's a huge letdown.
"You think you're going to see Taylor, your super-psyched - and then you find out aww someone outbid you," she said, "and it's not supposed to be a bidding thing. You made a purchase."
All tickets are sold out for all three shows. So if you find someone selling a ticket, the BBB suggests you triple-verify, because it is likely a scam. You should also expect to dish out thousands.
Meanwhile, the city warns there is a lot going on near Soldier Field this weekend besides the concert, so expect traffic woes – and pack patience.
