According to the LA Times, a woman from Hermosa Beach who allegedly sold dozens of fake tickets to a Lady Gaga concert on Craigslist has been ordered to pay at least $7,000 in restitution.
]
Last week, Debra Louise Brass, 27, pleaded no contest to charges of
grand theft. She was
also placed on three years' probation. Police found out about the fake tickets from a woman who went to see Gaga at Staples in August; she wasn't able to get in and found people in line with
similar stories and contacted police. Forty-seven other people identified Brass as the person who sold them fake tickets.
Here are a few lessons from this:
1. Never buy tickets off Craigslist. Three years ago, a few friends desperate to see Paul McCartney at
Coachella scrambled to get one-day tickets off Craigslist in two different cities. A total of five tickets were bought separately (three in LA, two in Placentia). The tickets looked real, but at the gate in Indio, they found the tickets were stolen and rendered invalid. Unfortunately, the numbers used to contact the sellers had been disconnected, and the buyers couldn't get restitution. Don't buy from scalpers, either. The best way to get concert tickets is to watch out for sell dates and presales.
2. If you don't get a ticket legitimately, don't take a risk if you can't afford it. A loss might be okay if, say, you're spending only $12, but Lady Gaga or Coachella tickets cost hundreds of dollars.
3. Get on an act, venue or event's mailing list. Or join the fan club, if you're really into the band. That way, you can find out when tickets go on sale and who's coming to town. Don't worry about spam; that's what the delete button is for.
One Reply to “Today's Concert-Going Lesson: Don't Buy Tickets Off Scalpers”