Looking for Beyoncé tickets for her Charlotte concert? Beware of these scams

Denise Casalez
·4 min read
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Beyoncè’s “Renaissance World Tour” concert comes to Charlotte on Aug. 9 — her only stop in the Carolinas — and since it’s been 10 years since Queen Bey performed in Charlotte, tickets are hot commodities.

Here’s the problem: With tickets in higher demand, scammers are out there looking to cash in.

The Better Business Bureau is warning people that Beyoncé tickets are at high risk for scams and that scammers are playing the “same game” as they did with the Taylor Swift tour. (The BBB previously released info on 30 reports of fake Taylor Swift tickets.)

“Credit cards generally offer extra protection in case you find out the tickets were a sham,” The BBB stated. Credit card purchases are easy to dispute, while debit card, cash transfer apps and cash are not.

Here are some tips on how to safely secure tickets through a third-party source or a seller through social media, and to make sure you’re not getting scammed.

Make your purchase by Paypal

If you’re looking for tickets through Instagram, Facebook or any social media source, make sure that the seller takes Paypal Goods and Services.

Paypal’s Purchase Protection services will help secure your purchase and make sure you’ll get a refund in case you don’t receive the tickets or if the tickets are fake.

If you mention Paypal Goods and Services to the seller and they hesitate or try to change the payment method, then it’s probably a scammer.

Ask the seller for ticket information

The most important thing to do is make sure that the tickets you see are real. You can ask the seller to forward the confirmation email they received when they purchased the tickets.

According to Ticketmaster, it should take less than 72 hours to receive the confirmation email. There shouldn’t be any problem sending it to you since it doesn’t contain the actual tickets. Here’s an example of what a confirmation email should look like.

Be aware of the email address, because scammers often do little tricks like switching up the letters to make it seem like it’s a real email. Here are some email addresses that are aligned with legitimate ticket vendors.

Check their social profile

If the account has been active for less than a week then it’s probably fake. Other accounts can be perceived as “real” accounts, but check their comments and following.

Also check to see if the account has any tagged posts. If they don’t have any comments, follow more accounts than follow them, or don’t have any tagged posts, then it’s a little bit of a red flag.

Another thing to look out for is that they could be a real person just looking to scam. If that’s the case, focus on receiving the confirmation email and use PayPal services.

Search for their name on Twitter (and everywhere else)

Search their name anywhere and everywhere. There might be a post against them if they’ve scammed before. It’s best to use Twitter to search for this information.

If they have no posts against them, that’s no guarantee it’s a safe transaction. It’s still best to be cautious.

For example, this Twitter post is relatively something you should keep an eye on.

Is the price too good of a deal?

If the seller offers a deal for seats less than $150, it’s probably too good to be true.

Beyoncé tickets are ranging from $219 to $500 and up.

Search for tickets in a safe space

If you want to get in touch with a page where fans may be selling real tickets, look into a Beyoncé fan page or accounts dedicated to the tour to see if you can find tickets there.

Fans are known to come together and find tickets for those who are looking for them.

Here is a Facebook group dedicated to Beyoncé concert ticket sales.

DO NOT send money quickly

Even if you think the tickets are believable, don’t send any money until you are 100% certain that the tickets you are buying are real.

If you found “good” tickets and want to purchase them ASAP, slow down and look at all angles of the purchase mentioned above.

Don’t ever use CashApp, Venmo or similar sites to purchase tickets (remember about PayPal Protection service).

Try to buy tickets from trusted vendor

Third-party ticket vendors like SeatGeek and StubHub are safer options if you want a better chance of securing real tickets.

StubHub says that buyers and sellers can use the site via their FanProtect Guarantee, which promises valid tickets or your money back. SeatGeek also brings the same promise by guaranteeing tickets and a full refund as well.