Woman who bought Steelers tickets for veterans in her family scammed out of money

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh woman who bought Steelers tickets as a special Christmas gift for the veterans in her family was instead scammed out of hundreds of dollars. Misty Traska said she wanted to gift her dad, a Korean War veteran, a special experience for Christmas. He lives in Georgia and hasn’t been to a Steelers game in 15 years.

Traska found four tickets for $500 for the Steelers match-up against the Bengals on Dec. 23. Her two cousins are also veterans, so she wanted them to be included too.

“My cousins did two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and my father was in Korea,” Traska said.  “They’re extra deserving of these tickets and this heartwarming experience I was hoping for that we unfortunately got cheated out of.”

Traska sent $500 through Zelle to the seller, located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, but the tickets never came.

“Then the seller said, ‘I’m having issues getting them to electronically transfer, I’ve contacted Ticketmaster, I’m just going to overnight them,’” Traska added.

Sure enough, a USPS priority envelope arrived, but inside was nothing but a blank sheet of white paper.

“I automatically knew it was a scam and I got duped,” Traska added.

Traska did a quick Google search of the seller, and her mugshot came up. She even spent some time in a Florida jail.

“I was angry, I was angry,” Traska added.  “This woman has done this before. She’s had charges brought against her, a felony charge for selling Green Bay Packers tickets in 2016.”

Traska says she just wants to warn others this holiday season not to fall victim. She said she’s most upset that the veterans in her life, who have given so much, will lose out on this experience.

“Take that extra time, be careful what you’re doing, what payment options you’re using,” Traska added.  “With these cash apps, once it’s gone, it’s gone. They have no fraud protection.”

Traska filed reports with the Federal Trade Commission, the state Attorney General’s Office and the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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