Taylor Swift fan warns others after Facebook-recommended ‘verified’ resale group turned out to be a scam. The group now has more than 700 users

So, when Facebook unexpectedly recommended the private group to Carefoot, the 48-year-old from Oakville, Ont., immediately requested to join. The online community was geared toward Swifties hoping to secure resale tickets to Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour performances. It claimed to connect buyers with verified tickets “safe and securely.”

Little did Carefoot know, however, that she, along with hundreds of other fans, was falling for a scam that would ultimately cost her $800 — and likely her opportunity to see the pop superstar in Toronto.

Now, she’s speaking out to alert others, as fraud experts warn that these sophisticated schemes are becoming increasingly common and social media platforms, like Meta, must do more to protect users.

“I felt so ashamed. I was just excited to try and get Taylor Swift tickets” said Carefoot, speaking with the Star. “But if even one person doesn’t get scammed because of this, then that’s a win.”

Facebook user asked Carefoot to send money via PayPal

Carefoot said after joining the group she saw a post from the administrator, who goes by the name Zach Brooks, asking those looking for tickets to message him directly.

She reached out privately, inquiring for tickets, and Brooks responded saying he was in contact with another woman in the group who was looking to sell two tickets for $800 each. (The ticket seller, it would later turn out, was not real.)

Brooks, who claimed to act as the middle man, went on to explain how the transfer would work. “She will be sending the tickets to me and you will be sending the payment to me also,” he said in a message, a screenshot of which was viewed by the Star. “Then, I (will) transfer the tickets to you first before sending her the money so if anything goes wrong you will be getting your money back immediately.”

Carefoot trusted Brooks at the time because he was the administrator of the group — “which was my first mistake, because anyone can create a group,” she said.

He had also shared screenshots of the ticket numbers with her, along with pictures of Ticketmaster’s transfer process, which Carefoot later realized were likely doctored images.

Brooks told Carefoot to send the money via PayPal. Once she paid half of the total amount, he said he would send the tickets to her before she needed to transfer the balance. He requested $500 for the first instalment, then $200, followed by $100 in digital gift cards.

“At that point, I was desperate to get the tickets, so I went to Walmart, bought two STEAM gift cards, and sent those to them,” she said. “Then realized I had been scammed when he said the gift cards didn’t work and tried to get more money out of me.”

More than a dozen reports of fraud related to Swift concerts in Toronto

Carefoot isn’t alone. In the roughly three weeks since Swift’s concert tickets have been on sale, Toronto police said they’ve received 14 reports of financial fraud stemming from the event, with losses totalling more than $10,000.

But since only five to 10 per cent of financial crimes are reported to police, there could be hundreds of unreported cases and more than $100,000 in damages from these Swift-related concert scams, Det. David Coffey of the Toronto Police Service Financial Crimes Unit told the Star.

“The fraud incidents are primarily happening within Facebook groups,” he said. “It’s a made-for target for these scammers because they know people are desperate for tickets.”

Coffey added that people who believe they’re the victims of financial fraud should contact Toronto Police at the non-emergency line (416-808-2222). Even though investigators are rarely able to solve these crimes and charge those responsible, tips received from the public can help police spot trends and produce reports that can be shared with social media companies and the public, he added.

“Whether we anticipate being able to recover the funds or not, information is power,” Coffey said.

Facebook group still active and growing

The group which Carefoot joined has grown from roughly 200 members in mid-August to more than 700 users. And despite her reporting the fraudulent online community to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, the group was still visible Tuesday. Meta did not respond the Star’s questions about why the group not taken down after Carefoot’s complaint.

Carefoot added that it’s been challenging to warn other Swift fans in the group of the fraudulent activity because the administrators do not allow members to post without first receiving their approval. “He makes sure nobody goes back and post something about him,” she said.

The Star reached out the Brooks on Facebook. “My intention was never to scam anyone out of their hard-earned money,” he said in a statement. “I’m sorry for any distress this situation may have caused. I take these allegations very seriously, and I’m committed to doing my part to rectify the issue.”

Despite Brooks’ statement, Carefoot said she has still yet to receive a refund from him.

Brooks is also likely a fake identity used by the scammer. On the PayPal transaction receipt, the name associated with the account was a different one. The Star reached out to the email linked to the PayPal account but didn’t receive a response.

Carefoot is still waiting to hear back from her bank about whether the money can be reversed. PayPal, however, told her they can’t reverse the transfer because it was initially sent as a friends and family payment, not covered by PayPal’s Purchase Protection — another red flag that Carefoot only noticed when it was too late.

PayPal did not respond to the Star’s request for comment.

As a big Swift fan, and someone who has a full vinyl collection of the singer’s albums, Carefoot said she’s disappointed. “I get a lot of joy from her,” she said. “I was hoping I could go and see her in Toronto. But, yeah, not to be.”

Fans should only use verified sites, police say

Vanessa Iafolla, principal at Anti-Fraud Intelligence Consulting and an instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University focusing on financial crimes and fraud, said scammers are leveraging new technologies and weaknesses in these systems to exploit vulnerable people.

“Scammers will take any opportunity to exploit people’s enthusiasm or weakness or curiosity, whatever that human need is,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Taylor Swift or a car or plane tickets.”

While Iafolla said everyone needs be more aware of these scams and how to protect themselves online, Iafolla points to social media platforms like Facebook, “which have created the conditions for these scams to flourish.”

“They aren’t being accountable or responsible to their users nor protecting them or mitigating those risks,” she added.

Meta did not respond to the Star’s request for comment on the matter.

Det. Coffey, with Toronto Police, stressed that Swift fans and any general concertgoers should avoid buying tickets over social media, unless they personally know the seller.

“The best advice is to go to the legitimate organizations which are selling these tickets,” he said. “It may cost you more money, but in the end, you’re actually getting a ticket.”

He added that fans should especially be wary when they see cheap deals being advertised online. More often than not, they’re likely fake.

“If it’s too good to be true,” he said, “it probably is.”