TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Scammers hope to leave a ‘Blank Space’ in your bank account ahead of Taylor Swift’s series of shows at Raymond James Stadium.
The Hillsborough County’s Office of Consumer Protection wants to help fans avoid seeing ‘Red’ when purchasing tickets to the concerts.
“Any sort of situation where there’s high pressure, high stakes, high interest, you’re going to see some level of scam going on,” Eric Olsen said.
According to Olsen, events with the ‘Reputation’ for expensive tickets allow crooks to ‘Swift’-ly scam consumers out of large amounts of money.
“Look at how you can get a refund if there’s a problem. Always buy from the venue itself if you can, but, if you go through a reseller, you need to look at what the company is like,” Olsen said. “Look at their reviews and maybe go through the National Association of Ticket Brokers as well.”
Olsen warns about phishing scams that come through texts or emails with logos that look like official ticket sellers. He said the ‘End Game’ for criminals is accessing your personal information and tracking your online activity.
“Do your research especially if there are other red flags like somebody is trying to get you to pay with a cash app that doesn’t have a good protection policy or they’re trying to get you to pay with a gift card. Very low prices on a very popular venue is a red flag,” Olsen said.
Residents can contact Hillsborough County’s Office of Consumer and Veteran Services with concerns about possible scams, here: Hillsborough County – Consumer and Veterans Services