Second Person Arrested in $70K Taylor Swift Ticket Scam

A second person has been arrested and charged in a Taylor Swift ticket scam that left fans out of nearly $70,000.

According to Toronto Police Service, a 56-year-old man from Burlington, Ontario was charged with 19 counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, police said.

Additionally, another woman involved in the scam received more charges; the 44-year-old Burlington woman was first arrested in November and charged with 32 counts each of fraud under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, as well as one count each of fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

| READ: Woman Scams Taylor Swift Fans Out of $70K | 

According to police, she has now been charged with fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by a crime over $5,000. Police said she also faces eight counts each of fraud under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.

Police said the woman reportedly used the alias “Denise Blackhawk” while selling tickets on Facebook Marketplace. After her victims agreed to e-transfer her the money, she never sent the tickets. When the victims asked for a refund, she alleged that the money was gone.

Police said 28 people were scammed, though there may be more victims. Anyone in Toronto who has been scammed is urged to contact police or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.

| READ: ‘Swiftie Swindle’: Canadians Scammed Out of $3K Eras Tour Tickets on Facebook | 

One victim, Melinda Tarantino, told CBC News that she lost over $3,000 to the accused after buying concerts tickets for herself and her two daughters. After the scam, she began to collect victims’ experiences in an online form and discovered that nearly 160 people bought about 420 tickets from the accused. She has handed the list to the Halton police.

Toronto Swifties aren’t alone; last year, Swifties in the Greater Victoria were left empty-handed after falling victim to a scam on Facebook. According to the Oak Bay Police Department, one of the victims said they saw a post by a friend on Facebook who was selling tickets for $2,400. After e-transferring the cash, the fan received fake tickets in return. The friend’s social media account was compromised and had sent messages to all their Facebook friends selling the fraudulent tickets. The account has since been reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC).

The same compromised Facebook account successfully sold fake tickets to another fan; the second victim saw their Facebook friend selling tickets to Swift’s show for $500 each and bought four. After e-transferring $2,000, the seller asked the victim for another $400, claiming there was a surcharge to transfer the tickets. The victim suspected the scam and called their friend who confirmed.

Police noted that this “Swifty Swindle” wasn’t the first scam surrounding Swift tickets; there have been several other fraud reports in different jurisdictions as Swift played the area on her Eras Tour.