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USC football is once again a hot ticket. But for some students, that ticket is counterfeit.
On social media platforms including GroupMe, Snapchat and Discord, USC students are worried and warning each other after several students sent money for tickets they never received.
Kali Wilding, a sophomore majoring in business administration and real estate development, said she sent money for two resale tickets, but never received the tickets or a response after sending the money. “I called [the scammer] and then called them again,” said Wilding.
In other instances, scammers may ask students to give the money to the scammer’s friend or significant other via Venmo. Once given money, the account disappears, leaving students ticketless.
Cristina Got, a sophomore majoring in occupational therapy, said she initially paid half of the reseller’s asking price with the intention to send the second half after receiving the ticket, but the seller did not send any tickets.
“The person that I actually got scammed for was asking for $105 for three tickets, and I only sent half of them, so I only sent $50,” Got said. “And I got scammed for that $50.”
Got said one scammer even took a USC student’s identity, impersonating that student while reselling tickets.
“Someone’s going around claiming to be a student at campus, and they have a photo of the ID,” Got said. “But it wasn’t actually that person because I contacted that person on Instagram, and she’s aware of it now.”
Annenberg Media was able to connect one of the alleged scammers by text message. The person denied scamming any USC students but stopped commenting when pressed for more answers.
In response, students have taken to group chats to warn others about potential scammers and their methods. But the chats themselves have been compromised by people selling fake tickets there.
Jerri Lopez, a sophomore majoring in business, said a GroupMe chat, USC tickets!, that was once reliable now feels risky.
“I’m just kind of bummed because this group chat last year was really helpful if I wanted to sell tickets or buy them,” Lopez said. “So, it’s kind of just a shame that it’s been taken over by hackers or scammers.”
The USC Ticket Office will sell individual student section tickets for a minimum of $80 per game for the remainder of this season. But, students who purchase the season tickets for $200 sell individual game tickets for much cheaper on unofficial marketplaces.
With the high prices of individual tickets on the USC Ticket Office website and students reselling their tickets for less, students are often inclined to seek tickets from other marketplaces, thus more susceptible to being scammed.
Despite this, students have not reported these types of scams to the Department of Public Safety.
When questioned about the prevalence of these scams, a DPS spokesperson said, “At this time, DPS has not received any reports that students have been victims of a scam involving football game tickets. Any student who is scammed is encouraged to immediately report it to DPS so that officers can investigate.”
DPS also has some tips so that students can take precautions that might protect them from being scammed, although none of these options catered towards this type of scam. The USC Ticket Office also has tips on reselling tickets.