A Canadian woman was arrested and charged with defrauding nearly 30 Taylor Swift ticket buyers of a total of $70,000, police said.
Denise Tisor, 43, of Burlington, Ontario, is accused of defrauding fans of thousands of dollars after she used Facebook Marketplace to advertise and sell fraudulent concert tickets for the pop megastar.
Tisor has since been charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, 32 counts of fraud under $5,000 and 32 counts of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, according to the Toronto police.
Under the alias “Denise Blackhawk,” she allegedly advertised ticket sales and provided various dates and seat locations for sold-out concerts at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
After the buyer agreed to make a purchase at the price set by Tisor, he would electronically transfer the full payment.
When inquiring about how to receive the tickets, Tisor informed the buyer that the tickets would not be accessible until a few days before the event.
When the alleged victims tried to get their tickets just before or on the concert date, the tickets were nowhere to be found.
“On the day of the concert, victims noticed that the tickets had not been transferred to their accounts,” a spokesperson said statement from Toronto police read and added: ‘when the victims asked for their money back, the suspect claimed the money was missing.’
A Canadian woman was arrested and charged with defrauding nearly 30 Taylor Swift ticket buyers of a total of $70,000, police said. Pictured: Taylor Swift performing at Rogers Center stadium in November 2024
Operating under the alias ‘Denise Blackhawk’, the woman allegedly advertised ticket sales and provided various dates and seat locations for sold-out concerts at Toronto’s Rogers Center (pictured)
Several victims claim they were “confident” the user would get the tickets because they knew her and had purchased tickets from her in the past. CTV News Toronto reported.
One ticket buyer said she felt a connection with Tisor after purchasing tickets from her last summer.
She said they would occasionally exchange text messages, adding that Tisor even helped her navigate a website to print the cards to give to her three young daughters, CTV News Toronto reported.
‘There were hundreds of us. There are hundreds of us who believed her. And she was that good. It’s just how I felt,” she said.
Another concerned victim began connecting the dots with Tisor’s alleged scheme, creating a Google Doc for people who had paid Tisor for fraudulent tickets.
The document listed the known purchases as more and more victims came forward.
“When you look at the sheer number of tickets, 420 tickets is a lot of tickets,” the woman, who did not reveal her identity, told CTV News Toronto.
Further irregularities came to light as more alleged victims came to light.
‘Some [tickets] are sold twice and three times for the same show, same row… the exact same tickets have been sold multiple times,” she added.
A total of 28 victims who paid for the fraudulent tickets, amounting to just under $70,000, have been identified so far, according to police who believe there may be more victims.
Last week, Tisor told CTV News Toronto that she too was a victim and has reported the incident to police.
A total of 28 victims who paid for the fraudulent tickets, amounting to just under $70,000, have been identified so far, according to police who believe there may be more victims.
A Burlington elementary school teacher, who also claimed she was defrauded by the woman, said Tisor’s own children attended her school
“I thought, I know this woman,” Tammy Allen said. “Just like her children go to my school.”
Allen added that Tisor told her the tickets came from a business connection, but the money was sent to a third party, who disappeared after receiving the money.
Toronto police suspect the Tisor scam started in August 2023.
She is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice on January 10.
The alleged scheme comes as another Canadian family lost Taylor Swift tickets that cost them $15,600 USD after allegedly purchasing counterfeit tickets from an individual broker.
Ottawa mom Mel Keogh purchased 28 tickets for a group of Swiftie family members who were excited to experience the Toronto Eras Tour show on Nov. 23.
She used an independent ticket broker, which she did not name but had used before.
She said everything seemed legit during the purchasing process as they received confirmation codes and seat numbers by email and she felt like they had done their research.
“It was horrible to tell the girls we weren’t going,” Keogh told CTV News Ottawa as he fought back tears.
Keogh said her family, including her superfan daughter Jordan, 15, were devastated by the news after weeks of making bracelets and choosing outfits.
“(It’s) everything we’ve been talking about for over a year,” Mel told CTV News.
‘They were absolutely ecstatic. My daughter, I can speak to her specifically, knows every Taylor Swift song, every word, every album, every era, everything.”
Ottawa mom Mel Keogh purchased 28 tickets for a group of Swiftie family members excited to experience the Toronto Eras Tour show on Nov. 23
Keogh said her family, including her superfan daughter Jordan, 15, were devastated by the news after spending weeks making bracelets and choosing outfits
“It was horrible to tell the girls we weren’t going,” Keogh told CTV News Ottawa as he fought back tears.
Keogh said her family, including her superfan daughter Jordan, 15, were devastated by the news after weeks of making bracelets and choosing outfits.
“(It’s) everything we’ve been talking about for over a year,” Mel told CTV News.
‘They were absolutely ecstatic. My daughter, I can speak to her specifically, knows every Taylor Swift song, every word, every album, every era, everything.”