Purdue University Police are issuing a caution to football fans looking to score tickets on the secondary market, after several reports of fraudulent sales hit the West Lafayette campus. Scammers peddling bogus Purdue football tickets have conned unsuspecting fans through the GroupMe app by masquerading as students, Purdue University Police Department revealed in a recent news release.
As reported by FOX59, the scam generally unfolds with the seller posing as a Purdue student. They insist on a verification process, requesting a photo and student ID from would-be buyers. Once these are obtained, police say, the scammer then uses this identification to trick the next victim, perpetuating the cycle of fraud.
Purdue Police Chief Lesley Wiete advises community members to steer clear of transactions with unknown individuals online, as captured in a statement obtained by WISHTV. "If a member of the campus community is approached in a group chat regarding tickets, they should not attempt to purchase the tickets. Also, they should save the information, such as usernames and phone numbers, and report the suspicious activity to our department,” Wiete indicated.
Victimized by the scam are left without tickets but lighter in the wallet, having sent payments via platforms like Venmo and Apple Pay to the counterfeit sellers. These transactions once made, according to the Purdue University Police, one might as well be sending their hard-earned cash into a void – the tickets don’t materialize, as highlighted in the public warning relayed by Purdue University's official newsroom.
The Purdue University Police Department can be reached at 765-494-8221 for anyone looking to report football ticket-related fraud. And instead of dicing with the gray market, the department recommends buying tickets through the safer avenue of SeatGeek, the official partner for secondary tickets of Purdue Athletics, to ensure fans aren't left on the sidelines.
