Beware of Lollapalooza Fake Ticket Scams

Several ticket seekers victimized by criminals on Craigslist

The sold-out Lollapalooza music festival is the hottest ticket in town, but it's also a magnet for scammers trying to take advantage of people seeking last-minute tickets.

Josh Kuipers had some friends coming into town for Lollapalooza and wanted to secure some tickets, so he responded to an ad he saw on Craigslist.

"We talked for awhile and agreed to meet in person and I would give him half of the money down and he would give me the passes when they shipped out, and we would keep in contact and I would give him the rest of the money at that point," said Kuipers, who gave the man $325.

But the guy never showed up to complete the transaction, and stopped taking Kuiper's calls and texts.

"It wasn't until I told him that I filed a police report and a lawsuit against him that got him to respond finally, five days later," Kuiper said.

Kuiper posted an ad on Craiglist to warn other people about the scam. He said he's heard from 30 other people who've also been victimized to the tune of $11,000 from the same individual.

James Grasso tells a similar story. He also found tickets online he thought looked legitimate because the poster showed Grasso a picture of the tickets and a receipt.

"He told me he was a father of two, he had a wife, he wasn't going to scam me. He gave me his bank account number, he gave me his home address," Grasso said.

Grasso sent a check for $500 and that's the last he heard from him.

Both victims say they considered using a legitimate ticket broker, but went with Craigslist because the tickets were being offered at face value.

A spokeswoman for C3 Presents, the company that produces Lollapalooza, says they're aware of the scam and encourages everyone to buy tickets exclusively through the festival so that they can be "authenticated, registered to the individual and replaced in the case of loss or damage."

Click here to register your festival wristband.

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