Over the past two months, students of Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges have been repeatedly targeted in a fraudulent Taylor Swift concert ticket scheme. Students were horrified to learn of the scam taking place during the seemingly idyllic Spring of suburban Pennsylvania. As one Bi-Co student put it:
“The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, but oh, suddenly, a scammer is preying on us.”
On March 27th, Bryn Mawr Campus Safety sent out an email warning of someone using the messaging app GroupMe to contact students and claiming to sell tickets to an upcoming Taylor Swift concert. The scam was discovered after one Haverford student reported not receiving a ticket after transferring money to the provided Venmo account. The email advised students to “buy tickets from a verified vendor” for their safety and reminded them not to “provide unknown parties with your [sic] personal information.” They were also asked never to let anyone use their Venmo account to send or receive cash.
Thanks to the cooperation of the scamees, I was able to gather that the GroupMe user to blame goes by the name “Abby Sisson”. “Abby” attempts to get email IDs from students and then tries to add the email ID to their own GroupMe account. One of the scamees thinks that “Abby” was trying to hack into their GroupMe account by doing this. “Abby” is also, of course, trying to convince students that they are legitimately selling $300 concert tickets.
In public Bi-Co GroupMe groupchats, “Abby” gave out their number so interested ticket-buyers could reach out to them over text. When students contacted them, “Abby” sent screenshots of the tickets the students wanted. Then they requested the money be sent either over Venmo or Zelle. The student transferred the money, but they never received the promised tickets. “Abby” would then leave the group chat and stop responding to texts. Calls would go straight to voicemail.
Students are advised during safety trainings to watch out for suspicious behavior like the misspelling of words or the usage of incorrect grammar, or requests for money from previously unknown sources for purposes that seem sketchy. Several of the scam victims that I have spoken to were asked by their friends and family, “How did you fall for this?! It was so obvious!” I, too, found myself asking this question. However, in their defense, misspelled words and incorrect sentences are often part of hurried conversations on text.
Besides being quick texters who are prone to making grammatical errors, college students who are fans of Taylor Swift would be too excited to check for suspicious activity. The going rate for Taylor Swift tickets in Philly is anywhere from $684 to $12,825, and students would have likely jumped at the opportunity to buy tickets for $300. Additionally, Bi-Co culture is guided by strong honor codes and self-governance. We are encouraged to put trust in each other, which makes incidents such as these even more shocking when they happen.
After conversing with the scamees, I realized they simply were unsuspecting. They never thought this would happen. They trusted too easily, and by the time they realized what was going on, it was too late. Their commitment to being Swifties was used against them. They felt distraught — their safe Bi-Co bubble was popped.
For the scammees, my heart goes out to you. Don’t let this one experience deter you from believing in the presence of good people in the world. Vigilance is important, but so are Taylor Swift concert tickets. You have my condolences for your losses.
For the scammer, if you’re reading this: I hope that karma gets you.
For everyone else reading this, in Campus Safety’s words: “If a stranger solicits you in a group chat, please notify Campus Safety immediately!”
