SAN ANTONIO – A scam victim is warning others after losing $10,000 on what they believed were tickets to George Strait’s upcoming concert for flood victims.

“My wife received [a] Facebook post advertising [a] George Strait fundraiser in Boerne,” said the man who asked that his identity be withheld for privacy. “Description, everything seemed legitimate.”

The July 27 benefit concert, supposedly raising money for Texas flood victims, felt plausible enough. The cause was urgent. The performer was iconic. And the post looked like it came from Strait’s official team.

I got online and started checking different websites,” he said. “Not a single mention of a scam based around this. Went to [George Strait’s] website, looked at wording and it was the same. Graphics—it was the same. It looked like George’s website.

The couple exchanged emails with a seller who was responsive and detailed. “The person at [the] other end of email—back and forth—seemed legit. Answering questions,” he recalled. “We ended up wiring the money in – $10,000 for four tickets.”

Then came the blow.

“Then we found out it was a scam,” he said. “We had lost $10,000.”

But for him, the money wasn’t the only loss.

“I was not concerned about losing the money,” he said. “That’s a lot of money, but I was concerned that someone stole money from people who were suffering in our state.”

The entire scheme turned on a detail so small it was nearly invisible: a single-letter difference in the email address provided in the Facebook post.

There was one letter that was different in [the] email in this FB post from the email on George’s website,” he said. “That was all it took. From that one letter, the money was wired to the wrong [place]. The charity got nothing.

Reflecting on the scheme, the victim didn’t mince words.

“Tragedies bring out the best—Texas in particular. It also brings out the worst, reprehensible in people,” he said. “There will always be people [who] are unscrupulous. Want to take advantage. It doesn’t matter how tragic.”

“I think they should get life in prison,” he added. “It is one of the worst things.”

His warning to others is direct: “If you get anything from a third party do your research on that. Beyond that, don’t buy anything from that post. Only buy it from a legit website you checked independently from that post. Chances are good it’s not [legit].”

Despite the loss, he said he and his wife won’t stop supporting flood relief efforts. “Next steps are keep giving. We [will] be supporting other events around the area.”

I won’t get any money back,” he said, “but I don’t want to see anyone else get taken like this.

The Better Business Bureau says scams like these are unfortunately common—especially during high-profile events or tragedies. They offer several tips for consumers purchasing event tickets:

  • Always try to buy tickets directly from the venue
  • Use a credit card, so you can dispute the charge if necessary
  • Check whether a seller is a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers by visiting the BBB’s website

In an era when digital impersonation takes only a few keystrokes, this victim’s experience is a sobering reminder of how trust can be exploited.