ePlaya

I've checked the faq, searched, but no answer to this one. How do I know that a will call ticket that I'm buying is valid? How do I know that it's really there, waiting for me?
Some seller in Florida is asking me to charge a paypal card, in exchange for two tickets. Seems somewhat legit, although fraught with sketchiness since I can't meet them in person.
How do you confirm the ticket transfer.

You can't. I have already been scammed out of two tickets this way. The only way I would recommend buying will call tickets from a stranger is to have them give you their ticketfly account info and let you change the password so it's basically your account. Otherwise, the person can just simply change the shipping info again which is how I got scammed. Also, this late in the game, make sure you print off your transaction and confirmation from ticketfly showing your name in ship info.

The Shipped To name can be changed after they make a screenshot to send to you. A screenshot can be faked. Bottom line, you can't, unless you have control of the ticketfly account. Which is likely against the terms of the account.

And, we can't be sure that the link to recent updates is available on the playa.
So,

Canoe wrote:I would highly recommend that at this late stage, that you NOT rely upon just the name change on the ticketfly account. They may also have communication issues at Will Call on the playa, connecting and getting the latest updates from the ticketfly site.

Personally, I would want, both:

• a screen shot printed out, showing the order number, seller info, and your info under Shipped To (seller can make the screen shot and email it to you)
• a letter as recommended at https://ticketsupport.burningman.com/cu ... all-order-

  If you want to provide someone with extra back up, you can give them a signed letter releasing your order to them, along with a copy of your photo ID.

NOTE: that's a fax or photocopy of the seller's photo ID, matching the seller's info on the screen shot.

So you've got what they published to do, and you've got a screenshot to show the original order (with order number).
Such a letter is what we've had to do in past years for last minute transfers of Will Call tickets.
Then the screen shot is real.

I have no idea what happens if you show up and the Shipped To doesn't match your ID.
You would have a letter of sale, with a copy of the original sellers photo id, if it's not faked.

In the past, it's been emphasized to know who you're buying from. With the current free for all, good luck.

Thanks. He sent me a screenshot, and is asking for a Paypal cash card payment. I buy the card, send him the numbers on the back, and he changes the ticketfly info. I will definitely ask for control over the ticketfly.

Seller goes by the name Nikki, nicolas Dellon, from france.

Careful there, if the mods were here, the name would be yanked.

I wish Trilo was here. A little guidance more help would be sweet.
I have the ticket number. It's not on a list of cancelled tix. Still feels sketchy, just because he's across the country.

Does that method of using paypal allow you to make a claim if it's a scam?

Someone can change the Shipped To as many times as they want.
You need to have that letter with a copy of Photo ID.

Ask for a skype where you watch them log in to ticketfly?
see that there actually is an order?
the seller's name matches what they've claimed, watch them change the Shipped To
you take screen shots of it changed to your name
then you pay - and by a method where there's recourse if the letter matching the order isn't produced?

Thanks for the help. I simply responded that unless I had total control over the ticketfly account prior to paying, no way was I going to do the deal. Honestly, I think I got a little playa fever there, and was ignoring some serious alarm bells. Refusal to accept paypal is a biggie.

ended up being a scam. I'm only out $100, since I was somewhat careful. [Name redacted by mod] from craigslist is a scammer.

One of the things that I did when buying tickets via a Will Call Transfer was call Ticketfly and ask if the confirmation number was valid. The whole process was initially cool and screenshots were sent after the seller/scammer updated the Ship To name to mine. Still, I felt like I needed to get a little more confirmation and put in a call to Ticketfly. The representative was able to confirm that the number was valid and that was about all they could tell me. [Understandably so.]

When I got to the Box Office with all of the supporting documents I was told that the tickets were already scanned. Which meant, of course, that I'd been scammed. That the seller had taken the payment and made the updates to the account to show my name and then repeated that process at least two other times.

I know that he did this multiple times as I've been in contact with the others that fell for the same thing from the same guy. We've all shared information to get a more complete picture of this guy and what he was up to and fortunately there is a remarkable amount of information to be had.

If I didn't have the foresight to have phoned Ticketfly as I did [and if the rep didn't enter this fact into the notes] then I'd have just been out of luck. Since I did have this extra bit of info I was able to purchase an Exception Ticket and get in.

The latest update that I care to share publicly is that the scammer has responded to our PayPal disputes with the same BS; he's maintaining that he did transfer the tickets. [And how he managed to buy at least six tickets to begin with is beyond me.]

More updates will follow tomorrow after business hours come around.

And after that it'll be very widely known who this guy is and who his partners are and we all have every intention of making the biggest deal out of this as possible so that it might deter such future fuckery from happening.

Beyond the Paypal dispute, you should report this guy to the authorities for criminal fraud especially given the large number of people affected.

A reminder, even when you are sure you have a scammer ... the details cannot be posted here by users. Liability thing.

BBadger wrote:Beyond the Paypal dispute, you should report this guy to the authorities for criminal fraud especially given the large number of people affected.

Authorities have been alerted to this POS scamming asshat. He's got a serious amount of heat coming his way. As he deserves; for being a shitty person. On another note, while this situation has unfolded, I've gotten to meet a few awesome burners, which is always fun, but who unfortunately are dealing with this too right along with me.

Lastly, if Jason's story above sounds similar to a situation in which you were scammed, PM or email me. I have a feeling there are many others that fell into this BS as well from the same fuckface.

Are people filing complaints with LE? And how does the jurisdiction thing work out?

Yea we are filing with LE. I talked to an officer and I told him that the scammer lives in a different state but he says file anyway to get the ball rolling, he also said that we might have to go to the FBI for this as multiple people have been scammed and this is not an isolated incident.

Well, good for following through.