Man’s $650 World Series Ticket Stolen Through Instagram Photo
Heads up: you should never post photos of modern event tickets online. A Boston Red Sox baseball fan just learned this lesson the hard way. After sharing a photo of his $650 ticket to Game 2 of the World Series on Instagram, he was later shocked to discover that someone had used it in his place.
After paying a visit to ticket services, Johnson was informed that his ticket had already been scanned a couple of hours before he arrived.
Johnson eventually realized that he had posted a photo of his ticket on Instagram earlier in the day.
What he didn’t realize, however, is that the photo contained both his barcode and his unique ticket number — everything that’s needed to create a duplicate ticket. Someone had discovered Johnson’s photo and used it to gain free entry into the World Series.
Johnson ended up paying another $450 for a replacement ticket so that he could get in with his sister.
If you ever do wish to post a photo of an event ticket online, just make sure you cover or blur the barcode and unique details to prevent this type of theft.
Image creditsHeader photo illustration based on photo by U.S. Air Force/Todd Maki
