Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Ballet West is warning patrons about third-party ticket scams for their production of "The Nutcracker."
- Scammers often pose as legitimate sellers online, posting inflated prices and fake seats.
- Ballet West urges purchases through official sites and is offering support for scam victims.
SALT LAKE CITY — Ballet West is warning patrons to be cautious when buying tickets for "The Nutcracker" after multiple customers recently reported paying inflated prices for tickets or receiving tickets for seats that did not exist.
The ballet company said deceptive third-party ticket sellers are sometimes the first online search result, and the resellers are using websites that closely resemble Ballet West's official site, leading buyers to believe they are purchasing legitimate tickets.
Margo Cowley shared her experience in an interview with KSL after learning similar scams are still happening this season. Cowley said she was scammed last year while trying to buy eight "The Nutcracker" tickets for her family.
"I just went online, Ballet West, looked for 'Nutcracker,'" Cowley said. "It came up, I looked for the best seats, and I bought them. It was very expensive. And I thought, 'Wow, those prices have gone up a lot in the last few years,' because I hadn't bought tickets for a while."
Cowley said she paid more than $400 per ticket for seats that should never have cost more than $150.
"And then, when I had some of my family members not able to go, I wanted to sell them to recoup some of that, and that's when I really found out what was going on and when they wouldn't call me back and they wouldn't tell me my seat numbers," Cowley said.
Ballet West staff later confirmed to Cowley by phone that the tickets had been purchased through a third-party vendor, not through the company itself.
"She said, 'Oh dear, you got redirected,' and I said, 'I don't know what you mean,'" Cowley said. "She said, 'They're scammers, and they grab you when you try to go on to our site.' She goes, 'We've tried to block it. We've tried to do everything we can, but they get around it.'"
Fortunately, Ballet West gave Cowley legitimate tickets, and she was able to go to the show. She said her credit card company helped cover the overcharges.
"Christmas is such an expensive time anyway, and to have people cheating you, reaching out and cheating is just not right," she said.
Ballet West said the problem is ongoing.
"We were alarmed by the fact that the number of times this has happened has increased compared to last year and the year before, in spite of our efforts to warn the public," said executive director Michael Scolamiero.
Ballet West said legitimate tickets for "The Nutcracker" are sold only through balletwest.org or arttix.org. Officials say valid tickets will always include specific seat assignments and will never exceed $150 per seat during the 2025 season.
The company urged patrons who believe they may have purchased fraudulent tickets to contact the Ballet West box office directly to verify their purchase.
"A lot of this is out of our control, but we may be able to direct them to the appropriate authorities that can help them try to recover some of what they paid for," Scolamiero said. "I think the last thing we want people to do is just say, 'I'm out of luck,' and let it go, because we really want to stop this."
"The Nutcracker" will run through Dec. 27 at the Capitol Theatre.
