Tonight, at 6:30 p.m., I will be marking the completion of my Northeastern University MBA program by participating in a graduation ceremony.
This isn’t the “official” school commencement ceremony — I’ll be joining that on Sunday in Fenway Park. Tonight is just for the D’Amore-McKim School of Business graduate programs, a much smaller group held in a much smaller location (Matthews Arena).
In fact, because of seating limitations, graduates are each given just three tickets for guests. Uh oh… I need five.
So, like any smart parent, I followed in the footsteps of my daughter who graduated two years ago from Northeastern and faced the same problem: I posted a note on the school’s subreddit (a specialized, online community for Northeastern students), letting others know I was looking for tickets and happy to pay for them.
That’s when the trouble began…
I knew from the start I needed to be wary of scammers and so I did my best to tread carefully. After ignoring one respondent who wanted way too much money (I was willing to pay $50 per ticket), and another obvious bad actor, I connected with someone who seemed reasonable.
We agreed on price and I asked how he wanted to be paid.
We started with Zelle, moved to Venmo when that didn’t work, and went back to Zelle when we ran into further complications. I’ll spare you the details, but as we progressed, it seemed more and more likely he was not who he claimed to be.
Finally, after he failed to send me a message from his Northeastern email account as I requested, and when the phone number he provided of “a friend” came up with a Venmo alert, I walked away.
But I don’t mind telling you, had he been a little more capable and I a little less vigilant, he might have succeeded in scamming me.
With that in mind, I offer a few suggestions to help you likewise avoid being fooled by the next scammer who crosses your path…
#1. Temper Your Eagerness
I was getting pretty desperate for those tickets. My two sisters had planned to fly in from out of town (one from out of the country) and the clock was ticking on how soon I would have to tell them not to bother. With each passing day, I was tempted to lower my guard further.
Scammers bank on urgency. It’s why the fake IRS demands, bogus unpaid toll texts, and all kinds of similar cons always come with short deadlines and a warning to act quickly, lest terrible things occur. Even legitimate companies rely heavily on “last chance” and “good until midnight tonight” offers. They are hard to resist.
#2. Consider the Circumstances
Unsolicited requests for money, personal information, etc., are easy to spot. When a random person asks us to do something, we are on guard by default.
In this case, however, I was the one who initiated contact. I publicly expressed a need and my opportunistic scammer friend stepped up to “help.” When you go looking for assistance, otherwise suspicious offers may seem reasonable.
#3. Take Steps to Verify
Northeastern uses Microsoft 365 with two-factor authentication for student emails. I knew it would be nearly impossible for a hacker to fake one of these accounts. By asking him to send me a message, I created a hurdle he would need to get over.
These types of verifications go a long way in weeding out scams. Whether that means picking up the phone to verify a request from “the boss” to purchase and send gift cards, requiring vendors to set up appointments through established channels before allowing them on-site access, or taking other steps to prove authenticity in a given circumstance, robust security requires us to not take people and requests at face value.
#4. Balance Security and Convenience
Even if everything appeared legitimate, at some point, either I’d have to send the money first (trusting he’d then send the tickets), or he’d have to send the tickets first (trusting I’d pay afterward). Yes, online escrow services exist for such situations. But they’re usually not worthwhile for small transactions — I’d probably have risked $100 without one.
However, sometimes the stakes are higher and extra precautions are justified. For instance, requiring both a password and a six-digit verification code to log into your bank account is certainly an inconvenience, but clearly necessary. On the other hand, that same level of security wouldn’t make sense every time you went to open the next email in Outlook.
When deciding how much hassle you’re willing to accept, always consider what’s at stake.
#5. Human Nature Works Against Security
I began my ticket-buying search fully aware of the potential for being scammed. And yet, mostly due to the time constraint and my eagerness to find a solution, I was nearly fooled.
As the stakes and urgency increase, and our natural tendency to trust kicks in, we may rationalize and dismiss obvious warning signs. When it comes to scams, people are the weakest link.
What About the Tickets?
In case you’re wondering, I did end up with those two extra tickets.
It occurred to me that since many of my classmates were not U.S. residents — and would be going home when classes ended and not attending graduation — there might be tickets to spare. So I sent a group message though Northeastern’s learning management system.
Sure enough, and literally within just a few minutes, I got a reply from someone who was happy to share hers — and she wouldn’t even let me pay for them.
Heading out soon for graduation!