Local Women Scammed By Phony Tickets Online

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Two local women bought expensive tickets for a Michael Jackson show at Power Balance Pavilion online, but it turns out they were fake.

It's a huge financial hit during the holidays for the two, who were planning to treat their families to a special show right after New Year's.

"I'm out $400," said one of women. Both didn't want their names or faces used on camera.

"We were really excited," the other woman said. "We wanted to see the Michael Jackson show."

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson "The Immortal World Tour" show is a pricey event, so they searched craigslist for a deal.

"We did our homework," one said. "We thought we did."

But something didn't feel right when they met the seller. Turns out, all eight tickets were fake. Now they're warning others. They say the tickets are printed on flimsy paper, and the suspect used a desperate plea as his sales pitch.

"It was 'my dad died and I need to get out of town to see my mom' or something like that."

But the women didn't just let it go. with the help of Leonard Padilla, they set up two stings to try to catch the suspect in the act and even made a citizen's arrest. Investigators are still collecting evidence, however, and have yet to make an official arrest.

According to the Sacramento Valley High Tech Crimes Task Force, there could be more victims locally and in the Bay Area as well. Unfortunately for them, none will be getting their money back. An arena spokesman issued the following statement:

"While not all third party sellers (craigslist, ebay, etc.) engage in fraudulent activity, it only takes one criminal to ruin what should be an enjoyable experience. We sympathize with any customer ensnared by counterfeit cons but can't assume responsibility for tickets obtained from a third party."

The arena spokesman said at least 12 people who bought off craigslist are holding fake tickets. He advised to always use the arena box office to make sure the tickets are legitimate.