'It seemed legitimate': Rolesville man says he was scammed out of $240 for hockey tickets

Thomas Welch tried purchasing tickets for the hockey game against his favorite Washington Capitals this past weekend but said the seller left him hanging.

"I was just looking for tickets and just trying to find a good deal," Welch said. "So I checked Craigslist."

He found four tickets for $60 each.

"It seemed legitimate, and it was a local number, too," he said.

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Welch and the Craigslist seller texted back and forth about the tickets, and the seller even showed Welch a picture of the tickets with the barcodes scratched out.

"He said, 'OK, I'm going to send the tickets to your email address. Go ahead and send me the payment through Zelle,'" Welch recalled.

Welch submitted $240 to the seller, but he never received an email with his tickets. After 45 minutes of waiting and repeated messages to the seller, he realized he was out of luck.

"I was like, 'Hey, you there? What's going on? The game's starting.' Blah, blah, blah. Nothing," Welch said.

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Craigslist offers advice on avoiding scams. The company recommends dealing locally, face-to-face in a safe public area, never wiring funds through services like Western Union and avoiding sending payment if you haven't met the seller in person.

Welch said he plans to buy tickets through Ticketmaster or someone he knows next time. He has been in contact with his bank and is hopeful he will get his money back. ​

"Ticketmaster is a lot more expensive but a lot cheaper than getting nothing for $240," he said.