Jamie Davila and Katie Rogers have only been dating for a few months, but there's one thing that instantly drew them closer: the Dallas Cowboys.
"We were really excited to get some tickets, to come to the game and celebrate them being in the playoffs again," Davila said.
He spotted a deal on the site OfferUp for four tickets to last week's game against the Seattle Seahawks for $900.
Davila said he contacted the seller to see the tickets in person.
"He was like, 'Hey, I'm going to the Irving Mall to pick up my daughter. Can you meet me there?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, sure,'" Davila said.
When Davila got to the mall, he said the man was alone, without his daughter.
This made him skeptical, but the tickets put him at ease again.
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"They felt like real, real tickets," he said. "He said that on tickets it turns green (if you use a light). On regular paper, it's white."
But Davila said there was another red flag: He saw more tickets tucked in the seller's pocket.
"And he was like, 'Oh, oh! Those are mine,'" Davila explained.
Davila said he gave the man $900 in exchange for the tickets, but before he left, he decided to get a video.
"Last minute, I was like, 'I was gotta get this guy on camera.' I'm like, 'Hey, let me get you on Snap,'" he said.
Davila said he took the video of the seller as insurance.
He's glad he did, because when he got to the AT&T Stadium, he and Rogers learned the tickets were fake.
"Your heart just sinks, because you're so excited to go to the playoff game and you just got scammed," Rogers said.
Davila said the seller deleted his OfferUp account and blocked his number.
NBC 5 Responds tried to reach the alleged seller, but the phone was turned off with no option to leave a voicemail.
"I just felt embarrassed," Davila said.
His date night quickly turned into a nightmare, but he hoped the person or people behind the scheme are caught.
Irving police told NBC 5 Responds that they would investigate this case and plan on using Davila's video as part of their investigation.
If you have any information about this fake ticket scheme, call 972-273-1010.
When buying tickets or any items from people you don't know, here are some solutions:
- See if you can meet the seller at your local police station.
- Try to record the transaction like Davila did.
- When in doubt, make purchases through verified sellers. Sometimes, it's just not worth taking the risk to lose that much money.
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