r/NYList • u/I_Am_Not_Splup • May 17 '25

PSA: Tips to avoid ticket scammers

9 Upvotes

Hey all!

I see some suspicious looking accounts on the main page again, so I'll repost this. Here are some tools you can use to try to spot scammers before you give them money:

Check their account age and karma. Is it only a week old? Or is it a five year old account with only 7 karma? If so, then they don't have a history for you to judge their credibility. They could also have created a new account because their others have been banned from the sub or suspended. RED FLAG!
Search reddit (or google) for their username to see if anyone has already posted warnings in other subs about them being a scammer, or if they are on banned lists for festivals in buy/sell megaposts, etc. If they are, then obviously that's a RED FLAG!
Search their username on the Universal Scammer List. This database is used by a few dozen marketplace subreddits to track scammers and sketchy accounts. If the account is on there then they've been caught trying to scam on reddit in the past. RED FLAG!
Search the Arctic Shift website for their username. Scammers delete their scams when they are done with them to cover their tracks. Arctic Shift will show everything, including their deleted stuff. Do two searches, one for posts and one for comments (set the limit to 100 to make it easier). Here's what to look for:
- Are they selling tickets in different cities that are far apart? That's the biggest red flag to me. Look at both their posts and their comments to see if they are replying to people looking for tickets. Sometimes you have to google an event to see what city it's in. If they're advertising tickets for sale in Seattle, then Austin, then NYC? RED FLAG!
- Do they have a bunch of reposts trying to sell the same tickets in the same sub? Scammers will delete posts when they get negative attention and repost them. Click into them and see if there are any comments calling them out as a scammer. If so, RED FLAG!
- Are they active in "quick money" subs like r/BorrowmoneyOnline, r/Referrallinks, r/ReferralBank, r/loans_bad_credit, r/INeedMoneyNow? There's a good list of them here. These are frequented by scammers to take advantage of Redditors in need. RED FLAG!
- Did they have a normal post and comment history in the beginning and then suddenly started selling a bunch of tickets and stuff with no other activity? Could be a compromised or bought account to use for scamming. RED FLAG!
- Do they have NO history at all? Again, RED FLAG!
Did they DM or chat you without replying to your post or comment first? If so, it's a sign that they could be banned from the sub, but are still trying to scam. Ask them to comment first. If they can't or won't, RED FLAG!

Finally, scammers are getting really good at photoshopping timestamps, so that's not always reliable anymore. You can try a reverse image search or the Repost Sleuth, but I don't have much luck with those. Your safest bet is to do a video chat with the seller and ask them to show you opening the ticket in the app on camera (I've never bought resale tickets, so I'm not as familiar with that).

Of course, not every scammer will check these boxes, and not every honest seller will look perfect on paper. But, run this checklist and then listen to your gut before sealing a deal with someone on Reddit. Don't let FOMO cloud your judgement! Also, don't pay with Paypal Friends and Family!

Report suspicious accounts to the mods. If you're sure you've found a scammer here or especially if you get scammed yourself, help the sub out and make your own post calling out their red flags. You can also "spoil" their posts or comments by replying directly to them. They'll probably delete it and block you but it will help others!

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk! Sorry for spamming this long ass post again. Scammers can eat it.

6 comments

r/NYList • u/Professional_Art9852 • 4h ago

Selling large solid wood coffee table - pickup kips bay

gallery

5 Upvotes

Price : $1250
3 Years old, 4 feet long and 3 feet wide. Around 500 Ibs

Must be picked up by buyer, will need movers to help lift

Good condition with Minor wear (small chip) and currently sitting on 3 wood blocks instead of the original small legs as one broke.

Comment or reach out if interested

Long Term & Marriage Minded Singles, 25-45: Wed, July 22nd, 2026 at 7pm