Woman charged for selling fake Toronto Taylor Swift tickets

A woman from Burlington is facing charges for allegedly selling several people fraudulent Taylor Swift concert tickets for her six-show stop in Toronto, with police claiming the scam cost victims just under $70,000.

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) said the woman used the alias “Denise Blackhawk” on Facebook Marketplace and offered The Eras Tour tickets for concerts at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

It’s alleged she provided various dates and seat locations for the concerts, and once a price was agreed on, buyers sent e-transfers to the accused for full payment of the tickets.

Police noted that some tickets were purchased in Aug. 2023 when they first became available online, and the accused advised the buyers that tickets would not be released until days before the concert, with shows kicking off on Nov. 14. Swift also performed on Nov. 15, Nov. 16, Nov. 22, Nov. 23 and Nov. 24.

TPS said that victims found that the concert tickets had not been transferred to their accounts on the concert day. When they requested their money back, the woman alleged it was gone.

Authorities confirmed that 28 people paid for the fraudulent tickets, totalling almost $70,000 combined.

TPS says there could be more victims

On Nov. 25, police arrested Denise Tisor of Burlington. She faces several charges, including fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, 32 counts of fraud under $5,000 and 32 counts of property obtained by crime under $5,000.

The accused is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 10, 2025.

Police believe there may be more victims, and authorities are working with the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) on the investigation.

GTA police forces urged residents to be cautious when purchasing tickets and aware of potential frauds and scams. Last week, the HRPS said it received reports of concert ticket fraud and was investigating several instances related to Swift’s six-show stop in Toronto.

At the time, HRPS said that investigators had received approximately 40 complaints of fraudulent or nonexistent tickets involving the same vendor.

It’s unclear if the accused facing fraud charges in Toronto relates to the Halton Region investigation. CityNews reached out to HRPS for comment.