Still looking for tickets to Taylor Swift concert? Here are ways to avoid being scammed
(CBS DETROIT) - Taylor Swift will be making her way to the Motor City this week.
Swift's Ford Field concerts are reportedly sold out, but if you're looking to snag a last-minute ticket, Facebook has dozens up for an offer; however, it comes with the concerns of being scammed.
Dana Gallagher told CBS News Detroit she and her two daughters are long-time "Swifties." The family recently left Metro Detroit to relocate to Florida.
"We are literally obsessed with Taylor Swift, like we love her. So it's just something super special for the girls and me," Gallagher said.
The mother of three planned to attend the Tampa concert with her family in April. Unfortunately, when she went to purchase the tickets, Ticketmaster crashed. Gallagher then decided to take her daughters to listen to the concert from the parking lot.
"So we were there, but weren't there," she said.
Still, Gallagher wanted her and her children to see the concert, what she calls once in a lifetime.
"If I'm able to get tickets and experience and create these memories with my girls, then I'm going to do whatever it takes."
During Memorial Day weekend, she started scrolling through Facebook. That's when she found a profile offering up four tickets for a Detroit date. The seller was reportedly a Michigan fourth-grade teacher.
"It was somebody you could be friends with, sit down, and hang out with a single woman she only has a dog," Gallagher said.
Gallagher ended up paying $1,000 for four tickets via Zelle. Afterward, the purported messenger eventually went cold, leaving Gallagher once again ticketless.
"Long story short, they [the bank] were not helpful and we did not get our money back and we lost $1,000," she said.
According to the Better Business Bureau. stories like Gallagher's are all too common. The bureau recommends that buyers know the resell value of the tickets they purchase before sending money and always pay with a credit card to help dispute the charges if needed.
Kelly Johnston told CBS News Detroit to be careful when buying items offline.
"Do not pay with digital apps like Zelle, Cashapp, and Venmo," Johnston said. "Always make sure to thoroughly vet who you're buying the tickets from."
As the tour is set to wrap up later this summer, Gallagher still holds out hope that she and her family will get to see one of Swift's upcoming stops.
"I still believe I will see this girl in concert. I'm so determined to take my girls to go see her," Gallagher said.
