Ticketmaster CEO Gives Free Super Bowl Tickets to Scam Victims
A few San Francisco 49ers die-hards paid $5,900 to a Baltimore Ravens fan for tickets to Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans. But when the delivery arrived, they were merely greeted with taunting messages written on an overnight package.
When Ticketmaster CEO Nathan Hubbard heard about the scam, first reported by the Mercury News, he called Hayward, Calif., resident Sharon Osgood and offered her four free tickets and a breakfast with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current FOX Sports analyst Troy Aikman.
The 49ers, before hearing about Hubbard’s gift, also called with an offer for free tickets. Osgood said she now has five tickets for her, her boyfriend and other family members who were victims of the scam.
The scammed fans wired the money to someone they met through Craigslist. The person identified himself as a tax attorney in Boca Raton, Fla., and a Ravens season-ticket holder.
“I wish I could tell you that we don't hear this story a lot, but we do,” Hubbard told the Mercury News. “There are a lot of places that fans go to buy tickets that aren't safe, and they get completely exploited. And it drives us crazy.”