Brian Ramirez thought the sale seemed fishy.
Ramirez, a sophomore majoring in international relations, was trying to buy a ticket to a recent USC football game on the resale market. But, when he was sent a link rather than a username, something seemed off.
“I thought they were going to send a Cash App username or even a QR code for the Cash App,” Ramirez said. “When they sent a link, it did raise a red flag for me, but I still was pretty trustworthy of it because it was on GroupMe.”
Ramirez looked up the seller and saw that they were using a USC email, so he clicked on the link, which he said he later realized was a scam.
Luckily for him, the Cash App transaction didn’t go through. However, according to the Department of Public Safety, others weren’t so lucky.
In a community advisory emailed to students Wednesday, DPS said it has seen increased reports of USC students getting scammed for football tickets on GroupMe in a similar vein as Ramirez.
Here’s how to avoid being scammed.
What are the signs of a scam?
DPS Assistant Chief David Carlisle said pressure on price or urgency is a sign of a potential scam, alongside low prices, especially for sold-out events like USC football’s upcoming Halloween and Homecoming matchup with No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday night.
The DPS advisory said that the seller claiming a payment was unsuccessful or urging additional payments beyond the originally agreed upon amount are signs of a scam.
Asking for photographic proof of USC affiliation can also be associated with the scam, as scammers hope to use the photos in future scams, DPS said.
How can I stay safe?
Carlisle advised students to buy from the official venues like the USC Ticket Office, Ticketmaster or StubHub to avoid being scammed.
When buying on a platform like GroupMe, DPS advised students to not send photographs of USC IDs or any documents or trusting a seller simply due to a photograph of a USC ID or USC email attached to the account.
DPS also said to be cautious of urgency, requests of multiple payments and inconsistencies in the sellers’ stories or identification.
What can I do if I was scammed?
DPS advises anyone who is scammed to take screenshots of the ads, messages, account information, photos, contact information and any other information associated with the scam.
If you have been scammed, the incident can be reported to DPS at (213)-740-6000 for University Park Campus students or (323)-442-1000 for Health Sciences Campus students.
Has this happened before?
Similar scams on GroupMe have been reported by DPS in recent years, including 2024 and 2022.
“This is not an unusual scam, although it seems to be on the increase this year,” Carlisle said.
Edited by Sean Campbell and Miranda Huang.