Scammed NC: Hurricanes Fan Loses Money in Stanley Cup Final Ticket Scam After Buying Through Facebook Group

A Carolina Hurricanes fan says she lost $1,000 after being scammed while trying to buy Stanley Cup Finals tickets through a Facebook resale group, just one day after ABC11 warned viewers about ticket fraud targeting desperate buyers.

Rebecca Cornwell said she was searching for tickets within her budget after attending one playoff game in each round, but could not afford the rising prices for the finals. She said she found what appeared to be a trustworthy Hurricanes resale page on Facebook, partly because the group regularly posted anti-scam warnings and urged members to verify purchases through the admin team.

Cornwell said she contacted a phone number listed in the group and believed she was speaking with an administrator. After explaining her budget, she was told a “verified seller” had tickets available for $500 each. She said she received instructions that the seller would transfer the tickets first, then she would send payment. Cornwell said she was sent a screenshot of the tickets and then wired $1,000 to the person she was told was the seller.

According to Cornwell, she was later told the seller had received the money, but the tickets never arrived in her Ticketmaster account. She said that meant she missed her chance to attend any of the playoff games. Cornwell said she had been waiting since Sunday before realizing she had been scammed.

ABC11 said it also heard from another viewer who reported being cheated in the same Facebook resale group by someone claiming to be an administrator. The phone number used in the exchanges did not respond to inquiries, and the Facebook profile linked to the alleged administrator has since been deleted.

Consumer advocates say the case shows a major red flag in ticket scams: screenshots. Legitimate Carolina Hurricanes playoff tickets are transferred electronically through Ticketmaster and include live barcodes that change constantly. A screenshot can be copied and sent to multiple people, making it worthless for entry.

With Stanley Cup Finals tickets often costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars, experts urge buyers to be extremely careful when shopping on social media. They recommend verifying sellers whenever possible, using payment methods that offer fraud protection, and avoiding deals that cannot be confirmed through official ticket systems.

The safest option, experts say, is to buy directly from official ticket sellers or from reputable resale platforms that provide buyer guarantees. Cornwell said her experience is a warning to other fans not to trust Facebook resale pages and to stick with Ticketmaster or official watch parties instead.