Chicago Scam for tomorrow's game
I do not give any advice, or anything. Just want to let you know some -very sad fact.
As I was roaming around the stadium today, I heard several fans telling the same story. I over heard one particular conversation in between very unpleased Wisconsin fans and a Policeman:
They bought Ticket "in person" from someone found on Craiglist.
They got very legit printed ticket coming with a very legit invoice.
The Policemen assumed that the scammer probably used a stollen Credit Card to buy ticket.
He got official tickets as well as an official invoices. However, the credit card being stollen it later got "cancelled".
Be aware guys.
Dont fall on that one.
OP: I'd suggest that even high levels of awareness and vigilance won't prevent some kinds of misfortune.
If you buy from a scalper on the streets ask them to walk you to the entrance so you know they scan or ask if you can take a pic of their drivers license. If they say no to that then they are probably selling fakes.
"I'll pay half now and the other half if my team wins"
Actually, I might try this with a scalper one day - 50% down, the remaining 50% if my team wins - and see what the scalper says just for sheer amusement.
Everybody scams
Even world leaders. You got Crimea, I got 2 meetings and nukes, lol!
It's like we have the same agent!
Yeah...nerve agent Novichok! We are absolutely killing tonight!
Biggest scam at the United Center is the cab drivers after the game. They have to run their meter - if they refuse or quote some flat rate, walk away. You’re getting ripped off.
I have fallen victim to this same scam for a concert in Chicago. Tickets from Craigslist, they gave what looked like a legit ticket and were even "nice enough" to provide the invoice from their Ticketmaster purchase online. We waited an hour in line to get into the concert, and then got to the front of the line and the tickets wouldn't scan. Someone had put together a very sophisticated copy of the actual tickets that Ticketmaster uses, and although they had the price significantly different than the actual tickets for the show, we didn't know the real prices at the time of purchase anyways.
I guess the biggest red flag should have been that we were meeting someone in a sketchy part of the South Side to pick up someone's extra tickets for an EDM show with 99% white people, but sometimes you try to rationalize things. This is obviously a scam that works very well, and by the time people figure out the tickets are fake, the seller is far far away.
Your misfortune began when you decided to buy tickets to an EDM show.
March 16th, 2019 at 10:00 PM ^
EDM shows are a lot of fun. Really the only type of show I will go to nowadays. Obviously you want to ingest a few different substances before or during though....
You need to be very skeptical of any ticket purchase in Chicago. Especially if anyone is or seems like they might be from the south side. Scams are crazy and prevalent!
That's why I only get my tickets from my cousin, Jack. He lives in a Torino with no wheels on it.
March 16th, 2019 at 11:00 PM ^
There's a Torino in Moscow?
March 16th, 2019 at 11:19 PM ^
Of course there is.
StubHub folks. Never an issue.
Former Chicago resident here. Go to the actual offices of scalpers. Most are on or around Clark street (by Wrigley Field). Buy the tickets from them because they are legitimately in the business of the secondary ticket market. They have all the events you could want.
Stollen?
My grandma (may she rest in peace) always made "Stollen Bread" at Christmas time. It was a German version of fruit cake but MUCH better. I haven't had any Stollen Bread since she passed away over 40 years ago, not since she was stolen away from us and Grandpa way too early.
March 16th, 2019 at 11:02 PM ^
Are you the Rob F from the Tigers NPGWH forum? I've always wondered....
March 16th, 2019 at 11:21 PM ^
That's me.
NPGWH---LOL! That was a great forum and great bunch of regular posters, too bad the Tigers NPGWH group didn't find a suitable free host website when Worldcrossing/WX shut down all their free sites.
I still keep in touch on Twitter with about a half dozen of those guys; another small group of them have a forum on Tapatalk called "TigerClubhouseGang" that only has a very small handful of active members (I occasionally lurk but seldom post anymore) and I believe another small group have a Facebook group of fellow Tigers NPGWH forum members.
At least a couple of other NPGWH refugees have at least occasionally posted on the MGoBoard, though I haven't noticed them lately----maybe they've finally found poon again...?
Obviously the Tigers have gone full circle back to being the doormat of the worst division in the American League. Let's hope this time it doesn't take forever to get back to being a contender.
And you? I don't recognize your handle from the Tigers forum group, so you must've had a different username there.
March 16th, 2019 at 11:28 PM ^
I don't know if Servatii's in Cincinnati ships or not, but if they do, order one or two next December. Or you can try your own...
http://www.fox19.com/story/11537297/almond-stollen-from-servatiis/
March 16th, 2019 at 11:34 PM ^
hey rob f,
it won't be anything like what your Grandma used to make, still you might like to try the Stollen bread at the Frankenmuth Zehnder's bakery, located downstairs from the restaurant. It's a basic white loaf of bread with bits of fruit, more versatile than plain bread and not rich like fruitcake. Makes great sandwiches, french toast, or plain with a bit of butter. Since we typically visit once a year in the fall or winter, it's gotten to be a holiday tradition to pick up a loaf or two.
March 17th, 2019 at 12:17 AM ^
Thank you (and "Yeoman", too) for the info on where to find stollen bread. I made note of it so that I can order some before the holidays, if not sooner.
March 17th, 2019 at 12:38 AM ^
Can't help you on that one.
I am French.
So are fries.
THEY ARE NOT! Suck it up USA. Those are BELGIAN.
You got all the geography wrong all the time for the food.
Cumon. Get your act together.
:D
I was the unfortunate victim of a similar scam earlier this year. I'm typically a fairly savvy guy about such things, but let my enthusiasm get the best of me and I looked past the couple of subtle red-flags in my excitement. I found the listing for a pair of tickets to the IU/UofM game in Bloomington on Craigslist. The dude had a Bloomington area code (probably a burner) but was "out of town" and that's why he couldn't meet in person. I know because he was nice enough to call and chat and reassure me that he wasn't a scammer. He was also nice enough to give me parking suggestions for Assembly Hall. He even had the gall to try and get me to sell his "other" pair of tickets to one of my friends. Anyhow, he also had the "receipts" from his purchase and emailed me legit looking PDFs of StubHub tickets after the payment went through. Fast forward to gameday, and the tickets won't scan. The ticket office let me know there were a few subtle differences (like where the logos were placed) that made it evident they were fake. By then the guy had already blocked my number when I called to have a word with him. It's an embarrassing story, but hopefully saves anyone else from being similarly blinded by their excitement to score some Michigan tickets.
More concretely, if anybody knows "Bill or Will Smiley" who has an 812 area code number, please let me know, I'd love to have a few words with him face to face.
March 17th, 2019 at 12:40 AM ^
Yeah - I had a similar experience, but that was not for ticket but for my wallet containing my green card.
I actually tracked down that bastard in Chicago, and well..
I won't say more.
March 16th, 2019 at 10:35 PM ^
Someone recently used my credit card to buy a whole bunch of tickets to events. They even bought ticket insurance and paid their phone bill. One of the events was Macy Gray. Someone suggested it was my son using my credit card behind my back. For Macy Gray tickets???? Not my son, the Zeppelin fan.
The led is a cover, total closet macey fan.
March 16th, 2019 at 10:57 PM ^
Craigslist is a cesspool.
This seems to be the common theme. People are using sketchy ass Craigslist. Just pay the fees on Stubhub. At least if something turns out to be wrong, you get your money back.
March 16th, 2019 at 11:57 PM ^
Why is anyone buying tickets on craigslist in the year 2019?
I thought Craig’s List was only for hiring a hit man.
And hookers
Is this really a Chicago scam? Or just like usual con man stuff. Shoulda tried Annie’s list
March 17th, 2019 at 11:56 AM ^
The reason it's a scam is because of the fake invoice and general lengths they are going. It's a lot more elaborate than buying a shitty ticket on the street outside of the venue.
I've always been worried because of the amount of scams that it's possible to encounter. Thanks for the warning. Basically, I try to learn more about them in order to avoid them completely. A couple of days ago I read about stuffing envelopes scam and now I know what to do and how to evade from being scammed.