With anticipated Kyle Field matchups such as the LSU and Texas rivalries on the horizon, ticket scams are back, according to campus police.
As Texas A&M students and fans scramble to secure tickets and sports passes to these high-demand games, many are falling victim to online scams where fraudsters pose as legitimate sellers only to deliver fake tickets — or nothing at all.
The scams are not new to this football season but continue to rise, costing people money with false promises of a valid sports pass, according to Robert Leseth, a field training and public information officer at the University Police Department, or UPD.
“What we know is that people are targeting our students and members of our community,” Leseth said. “They’re using student IDs and GroupMe to target students.”
With a recent increase in scammer reports, UPD advised students to be cautious when purchasing tickets from third-party sellers in a Facebook post.
“From what I understand, the scam works when someone’s either trying to purchase a sports pass or sell a sports pass,” Leseth said. “One of two things will happen: They’ll transfer their pass and won’t get their money, or they’ll send their money but won’t get the pass.”
According to UPD, scammers use images of other student IDs to convince buyers they are legitimate.
Leseth said students can take precautions to protect themselves from the scams.
“Be cautious and purchase your tickets through official sources,” Leseth said. “That’s the best thing you can do to be safe. We recommend the 12th Man Foundation or SeatGeek.”
Third-party selling occurs when students sell and buy sports passes, often online using apps like GroupMe and Facebook. One group on GroupMe updated semesterly has roughly 2,700 members, most of which are current students. Per the 12th Man Foundation, students are prohibited from reselling student sports passes for beyond the tickets’ face value.
“Be cautious,” Leseth said. “Meet somewhere physically, so meet at the ticket window. I’ve seen people do that at Kyle Field or even here at the police department — or someplace where [can] you feel safe and make that physical exchange for tickets.”
With three home games remaining this season, including two high-profile SEC matchups, Leseth said the scams will likely continue to occur.
“If something feels weird, call us,” Leseth said. “The more information that we have, it always helps us identify suspects. … We always want to educate our students now to be safe.”
For those who fall victim to online scams, evidence like screenshots or digital records can help UPD identify the suspect.
“Things like handles of Venmo, usernames, Snapchat handles and stuff like that are really beneficial,” Leseth said.
Leseth said students should remain vigilant and contact authorities if something feels suspicious. The university police phone number can be found on the back of student IDs, where reports of fraud and theft can be made.
“I’m really hoping that the Texas game comes and nothing happens — that everybody gets their tickets, gets to go see the game and that we win,” Leseth said. “It’s affecting everybody in our community.”
