Ticket scam hits campus
A campus-wide email by Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Kory Vitangeli notified students on Thursday that posters had been placed around campus advertising advance tickets to a fake concert.
Posters and flyers such as this one were found in buildings around the University of Indianapolis campus. Poster contributed by Kory Vitangeli
The advertisement said that the concert would feature J. Cole and Katy Perry, with a guest appearance by the “Jersey Shore” cast. The poster claimed that advance tickets could be purchased for $15 each, as opposed to $60 at the door. The poster also claimed that the concert would take place on Saturday, Feb. 18, at Primo Banquet Hall.
Vitangeli, who also serves as dean of students, said that no such concert had been planned.
“You could tell by the poster that it was probably not a legitimate concert. So we did get them [the posters] down and let the [residence] hall staff know if they saw them in the halls [to take them down],” Vitangeli said. “They had tried to get some stuff into the residence halls as well—and so people were letting the police know what was going on.”
According to the police report, the University of Indianapolis Police Department conducted an investigation around 1:23 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16. Officer Michael Horn contacted the owner of Primo Banquet Hall, who informed Horn that there was no such concert scheduled, and in fact a wedding was booked for Saturday, Feb. 18, the same day the advertisement claimed the concert would take place.
Chief of Police Mick Reddick suggested that people should question something that seems like an extreme bargain.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” said Reddick, who also serves as the director of campus safety. “So just ask the venue.”
According to the police report, Horn then called the number listed on the poster and spoke with a male later identified as Andress Evans. Horn then made arrangements to purchase 22 tickets from Evans. Evans arrived at Nicoson Hall at approximately 1:30 p.m. and sold 22 tickets to Campus Police Patrol Officer Ron Olson.
Olson paid with money that had been photocopied before the purchase, according to the police report. After the transaction was made, the vehicle Evans was in was stopped. Inside the vehicle, police reported finding several tickets to the fake concert. The $225 that Olson had used to purchase the tickets were also found in the passenger seat in front of Evans, according to police. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Curtis Robinson. The police report indicated that Robinson was operating the vehicle without a driver’s license.
According to the police report, Evans was arrested in connection with theft and Robinson was arrested in connection with operating a vehicle without ever receiving a license.
In her email, Vitangeli urged that people who had purchased the tickets should go to the campus police department so that they could record their information.
Vitangeli also said that in the future people should question anything similar to this that may look suspicious.
“[Students should] just question whether or not that’s reality and then try to verify the information before they order tickets,” she said. “So [students should] just go with their gut and use their senses for things like that. And then if they are suspicious [they should] let campus police know.”
