Mother says she was scammed with fake Taylor Swift tickets

TAMPA (FOX 13) - It was a once in a lifetime chance that Michele Blethen didn't want her daughter to miss.

"They had no idea I was even looking," Blethen said.

Telling her daughter she was buying Taylor Swift tickets for the Halloween-night concert was a joy.

"This just made her whole night and her whole weekend," Blethen said.

The mother knew the concert was sold out, so she turned to Craigslist and began searching for reputable tickets. Blethen said she had done it in the past and thought she knew what to look for.

After spotting a legitimately-looking ad and speaking to the seller, she was confident it was the real deal.

"She really played on my emotions. I was excited, I wanted to take my daughter. She brought family into the story and she was believable," Blethen said.

Blethen said she met the seller at Tampa's WestShore mall and paid $600 for four tickets.

"They had the perforations, everything was correct. Everything said the venue and the date was correct," Blethen said.

But when her daughter tried to get through the gates at the concert, the tickets wouldn't scan.

"He told me I was about the 26th person to turn in the same exact tickets with the same exact seats on them," she said.

Blethen turned to Tampa police, who said they are investigating one other fake ticket scam.

There could be more. Blethen gave police all the information she had on the woman who scammed her.

"I thought how could someone do this. How could someone be so dishonest, because I am a very honest person and it just broke my heart," she said.

Blethen said it is a mistake she will never make again. But she did luck out. At the ticket window, there were a few seats left and she spent an additional $500 on floor seats to make sure her daughter and friend wouldn't miss out.

"It is a hard lesson learned. Live and learn," she said.