Mom loses $1,600 in Taylor Swift social media ticket scam: 'My stomach dropped'

MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – Lovers of Taylor Swift are spending thousands of dollars to see the pop star on her dominating Eras Tour.

"I'm a huge Taylor Swift fan, but I have two nieces that are even bigger fans," said Midlothian mom Maggie Bachand.

Bachand, 48, was disappointed when she got waitlisted for tickets online but later got excited when she saw a friend’s Facebook post attempting to sell four seats to Taylor’s show in Indianapolis this November.

"I was so excited, which is ridiculous," Bachand explained. "The tickets she said were $400, which normally, I would not spend on myself, not now with everything so expensive. I just don't treat myself like that."

The Midlothian mom called her sister and decided the two would splurge to see their favorite performer, messaging the Facebook friend to purchase two tickets to the show.

"She said that would be great," she said. "I transferred the money through Cash App, and the names matched. So there was like no red flags or anything like that.”

The Facebook friend then typed back that Ticketmaster would only allow her to transfer all four tickets together, so Bachand agreed hoping to surprise her two nieces as a Christmas present.

"I went to go send the money again through Cash App, and it would not process so I was like okay, all I all I can do is Apple Pay," Bachand said. "And she said okay, let's do let's do Apple Pay. So I Apple Paid her the additional $800.”

Bachand was down $1,600, but said it was worth it for an enchanted evening with fellow 'Swifties.'

"I was so excited," said Bachand. "I was like, do you understand? We're going to see Taylor Swift. You know, in my brain, I'm thinking, oh, now we have to get outfits."

But everything changed when Bachand received another Facebook message showing a receipt from Ticketmaster asking for $400 for a ticket name change.

"At that point, I was like, my stomach dropped," she said. "I was like, you've got to be kidding me. Like, there's no there's no way. It just all of a sudden clicked like something is not adding up."

Bachand immediately requested the person she thought was her Facebook friend send the money back through Cash App, but got no response. Bachand immediately contacted her bank, Wells Fargo, along with Cash App and Apple Pay.

"I was so upset," said Bachand. "I was so sad. We all can't afford to lose $1,600 right now given you know, the expense of everything, and I have two boys.”

Meanwhile, Bachand said her brother, who is a police officer, contacted the Facebook friend they both knew and discovered she'd reported her Facebook account hacked months ago.

"It's just been hanging around," said the mom of two. "She can't use it, but whoever is out there, they used it. I know she feels awful because she's like, I just can't believe it. But, you know, obviously, it's not her fault. It could be any one of us.”

Unfortunately, Bachand isn’t the only person scammed after purchasing tickets to see the Eras Tour or other concerts on social media. The Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker shows dozens of similar reports.

"I never thought to look across the internet for a scam because I wasn't thinking that, especially when it's somebody that you're friends with, you know, they wouldn't do that to me," Bachand said. "That's just not how it works, but now your friend, it's not your friend. It's someone else using that account.”

Bachand told CBS 6, she had not heard back from Cash App, Apple Pay or Wells Fargo after initially reporting the situation, so CBS 6 contacted the companies. Cash App recognized the issue and refunded Bachand $800.

Wells Fargo and Apple Pay both told CBS 6 said they were looking into the report, but Bachand said she was notified by both companies that there was nothing else they could do to get her money back.

While the Midlothian mom won’t get to show off her style for the "Cruel Summer" singer in Indy, she’s hoping sharing her story will remind others to be extra vigilant online.

"They're taking over the names of people that are your friends, acting completely like them, and it just, it's hard to spot," she noted.

CBS 6 contacted Facebook's parent company Meta asking why it did not remove the hacked Facebook page, but the company did not respond to our email.

Meanwhile, here have some tips from both Cash App and the Better Business Bureau to help keep your money safe when making purchases online.

• Double check you know the seller. If it’s a friend, try to message them directly.
• Use your credit card as they tend to offer protection in case you find out the tickets were a sham
• Cash App says it has login notifications, additional coverage when sending money, and other security features to keep you and your money secure. Customers can also block or report other users and/or set incoming payment requests to come from phone contacts only.

Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.