Taylor Swift Ticket Scam Costs NJ Woman $1,480: Police

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ - Fake Taylor Swift tickets up for sale left one New Jersey woman scammed out of at least $1,480, authorities said.

In a statement released Thursday, the Hackettstown Police Department said it received a complaint from a 30-year-old resident who reported the ticket sale scam.

An investigation later found that the woman was part of an online Facebook group and began messaging an individual in the group who posted they had Taylor Swift concert tickets for sale, police said. The individual ultimately provided an email address for the woman to send $1,480 through Zelle to obtain the tickets.

However, after the first payment, the alleged seller tried to obtain more money from the victim, police said.

Swift's mega-popular "The Eras" tour has been met with unprecedented demand, even prompting Ticketmaster to cancel the general sale for the concert series in November after "insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet ... demand." As part of the tour, the artist is slated to make stops at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia next spring. Read more: Taylor Swift Addresses Fans After Ticket Fiasco

Single tickets for Swift's MetLife Stadium show are going for up to $5,300, according to StubHub.

The Hackettstown Police Department offered several tips to avoid similar ticketing scams:

• Research companies, ticket resellers or event organizers
• Avoid purchasing tickets from individuals who post on online marketplaces
• Be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true
• Use official websites and authorized ticket brokers to buy tickets
• Don’t use online payment methods, prepaid debit cards or gift cards as payment. Instead, opt to use a credit card on a secure website (look for HTTPS) as a payment method.
• Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau