[US] Got scammed trying to buy grad tickets for my family :(
Got scammed trying to buy UCI graduation tickets and wanted to see what you all think about my chances of recovering the money. 😔😞
I found someone claiming to be a UCI student selling graduation tickets. They sent me what appeared to be a screenshot of their virtual student ID and said "Here is my pass just to be more comfortable, you can report me to the cops if i mess up😭😭" When I tried paying, they kept giving me different payment recipients.
Payments attempted:
- Zelle: $40
- Zelle: $30
- Zelle: $30
- Apple Cash: $30
After each payment supposedly “failed,” I received text messages claiming the money was refunded and would return in 24–48 hours. The texts came from a phone number that turned out to be disconnected when I called it.
The biggest red flag: I emailed the actual UCI student whose identity was being used, and she replied saying she was not selling tickets and was not the person I had been talking to and she also got scammed and lost $125.
After this I immediately called my bank and filed claims with Bank of America for the three Zelle transfers. The bank told me I have to wait for the Apple Cash payment to fully process before disputing that one.
I have screenshots of:
- Conversations with the scammer
- Payment confirmations
- The fake refund texts
- The email from the real student confirming it wasn’t her
Total amount lost is about $130. Im a broke uni student bruh I dont even got money like that and was just trying to get my family tickets so they can see me graduate😭😢 Its so messed up, I haven't told anyone apart from my gf and I'm scared to tell my parents what happened since I feel like I should've know better, I was just desperate and in a hurry. I feel so stupid for this lmao, I'm 21 and got scammed fr, I'm usually smart about this stuff but let my guard down. Also yes I just created this account to post on here hoping I can get some help or advice.
Has anyone dealt with something similar involving Zelle or Apple Cash impersonation scams? What are my chances of recovering any of the money?
