A woman from Virginia has said that it felt “like a betrayal” when her bank didn’t pay her back the $1,600 she lost after falling victim to a Taylor Swift ticket scam on Facebook.
Laura Cascada told CW affiliate, WISH-TV, that she had been scrolling on Facebook when she came across a post from someone she knew selling tickets to Swift’s concert in Indianapolis.
Ms Cascada said that the person was willing to the sell the tickets, which claimed to have a good view, at a discounted price.
However, the seller’s account had been hacked and the scammer used the account to trick her into sending money – she says the individual even sent her a video of the supposed tickets.
“I got scammed by paying “her” with Zelle, which doesn’t protect you against these situations,” Cascada said.
“So, as soon as I had made the payment, “she” blocked me and took off with my money.”
After reporting the incident to her bank, Wells Fargo, an investigation was conducted and concluded that it had been a valid transaction.
“It’s just really distressing that they would assure me at the very beginning that they were going to do something about it and take care of it, and then they didn’t, and it feels kinda like a betrayal,” she said.
The transaction was not repaid as Wells Fargo deemed it a valid transaction and not an invalid one, such as when a hacker gains access to a bank account and transfers the money themselves.
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According to WISH-TV, a Wells Fargo spokesperson said: “Scammers are always looking for ways to take advantage of people such as exploiting high visibility events.”
“Awareness and vigilance are key to protect yourself.
“As scams change and evolve, we have taken, and continue taking significant action to combat scammers, including ongoing education efforts, warning notifications, and continually enhancing safeguards to help prevent these heartbreaking incidents,” they added.
Wells Fargo has also urged customers to double check payment details before sending money via Zelle as there is a risk they won’t be able to get the money back.
Zelle and Wells Fargo have said it is difficult to track down scammers because they are sophisticated and they often dump the phone numbers they use quickly.
