A company promising to throw a Halloween-night rave in Las Vegas bought $45,000 worth of advertising from a local television station, then seemingly vanished when it came time to pay the bill. Now Metro Police is investigating, after more than $12,000 in ads for the event had already aired.
The company, U.S. Events, had promised to organize Horror Nights EDM, described as a Halloween night rave in Las Vegas, according to Channel 13. The station reported that U.S. Events bought $45,000 worth of advertising from its sales team, and a contract sealing the deal was signed by someone identified as Rose Grayson. More than $12,000 worth of those ads had already run on Channel 13's platforms before the station paused them.
Payment Failure Triggered Alarm Bells
The trouble surfaced when Scripps' accounting department reported that the electronic payment from U.S. Events never went through. E.W. Scripps, Channel 13's parent company, then reached out to the station with concerns that the event was not what it seemed, prompting a closer look at the organizers behind Horror Nights EDM.
That scrutiny turned up more red flags. The station checked the address listed for the event and found it led to an office building housing several different businesses, not a venue capable of hosting a Halloween rave. Channel 13 also called the company number listed for the event to ask about both the event itself and possible ticket refunds, but the call went unanswered.
Conflicting Signals Online
Horror Nights EDM had been listed for ticket sales on Eventbrite, but that listing now shows the event as canceled. The festival's own website, however, told a different story, describing a Las Vegas event scheduled for October 31 that would feature electrifying performances from global superstars and world-renowned DJs taking over the city for one unforgettable Halloween night, according to the Horror Nights Festival site. The discrepancy between the two online listings remains unresolved.
Channel 13 asked Eventbrite whether it knew about the organizers or any issues connected to them, and how ticket buyers might obtain refunds, but the platform's media relations team did not respond to that inquiry. Eventbrite's general policy states that third-party event organizers create and manage their own listings and are responsible for setting refund policies and issuing refunds themselves, according to the company's help center.
Metro Police Takes Up the Case
Channel 13 filed a report with Metro Police about possible fraud, and police are now investigating the matter. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department guidance states that anyone who believes they have been the victim of fraud and has suspect information can call 702-828-3111 or visit an area command rather than file online, and there is no fee to submit a police report. An accepted report receives an LVMPD event number, and victims of internet-based financial crimes may also file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, known as IC3, per LVMPD.
LVMPD also notes that knowingly filing a false police report is itself a crime under Nevada Revised Statute 207.280. Channel 13 advised anyone who believes they have encountered similar fraudulent activity to report it to Metro's financial crimes line.
Ghosted ticket buyers and vendors are not unique to Las Vegas. In Ballston Spa, New York, organizers of a planned Halloween market faced renewed refund demands from vendors after a related summer event's permit was denied, according to CBS6 Albany. And in Nebraska, a musician was accused of canceling several paid performances, including a wedding, at the last minute, with organizers reporting they received the same text message, as reported by Fox5 Las Vegas.
For now, the status of Horror Nights EDM and the whereabouts of U.S. Events remain unclear, with Metro's investigation ongoing.
