Coachella Fest Scammers Paradise

Coachella Fest is not only a mecca of entertainment – it’s also a scalper’s paradise. Scammers were all around the Empire Pollo Club Friday, taking advantage of tourists desperate for a chance to join the fun.

“It was inside the house,” said Andrew Jaramillo, referring to a scamming operation near the festival. “[It] seemed real sketchy to me.”

Jaramillo and his friends drove into town from Whittier without tickets, and they have been ripped off twice.

“I bought tickets on Craigslist [and] got scammed from some guy in the U.K.,” he said. “[I] spent $700 and didn’t even get a hard ticket; a fake one – not even that.”

That happened a few days ago. Then, today, desperate for a 3-day pass, he and his friends stopped in a nearby house that was selling tickets.

“They were giving out VIP tickets for $300, and it looked kind of suspicious to me, because it’s more expensive,” he explained. “But, I gues the cops caught onto it, and they shut it down because they were fakes.”

Moments later, News Channel 3 caught up with Michael from San Jose. He and his friends also showed up without tickets, flagging people down along the road, hoping to get lucky. Eventually, a couple from New Jersey Stopped by and sold them a pair of tickets.

A passer by then checked the tickets out to varify whether the tickets were real or not. News Channel 3 was not able to confirm the authenticity of the tickets.

“Don’t go on Craigslist,” said Jaramillo. “That’s the worst thing you can do. Buy tickets on time and don’t procrastinate.

. . . or you’ll end up like him.

“Everything else is just a chance,” he said. “Now, I’m missing Coachella [Fest] – all 3 days.”