Convicted fraudster faces new charges in ticket scam
Aconvicted, serial fraudster has been arrested in connection with allegations of duping 180 victims into buying fake tickets to concerts, including the Tragically Hip’s Man Machine Poem Tour, Peel Regional police say.
Shaun Michael Nixon, 36, has been charged in connection with a series of “ticket scam” frauds, following a joint investigation between Peel police’s fraud unit, Toronto police and Guelph police.
Investigators allege that between August 2015 and July 2016, a man posed as an event ticket seller online and asked victims for payment “up front” through e-transfer or MoneyGram. The man then used women he met through online dating sites as unwitting recipients for the money transfers, police said.
Tragically Hip fan Jason Friedman alleges he nearly fell for a fraudulent ticket scam. Hoping to see the Hip one last time, he said he came across an ad for floor tickets at face value but thought it was “too good to be true.”
The ad on Craigslist referred to a seller named Sean Mitchell. It asked the seller to email him directly before sending money over MoneyGram or PayPal. Friedman told the Star he noticed the sender’s email address used the name Shaun Michael Nixon.
After doing his research and finding Nixon’s history, Friedman called the man, who began to “deny” and “backpedal,” saying he worked for Live Nation, a reputable ticket vendor, and that he was doing an undercover story for CBC and was unable to meet up directly.
Ryan Birnberg, another potential buyer, said he was immediately skeptical when he saw the Craigslist offer.
He said the seller tried to “manipulate” him into going through with the transaction by claiming he was a cop and had a warrant for his arrest. Birnberg said when the seller called him, the name on his call display read, Shaun Michael Nixon, although Birnberg said he remembered another name being used in the ad.
Nixon, a Hamilton native, served jail time in connection with fraudulent ticket schemes in 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
While serving his fourth jail sentence, Nixon told the Star he felt guilty about the hundreds, possibly thousands, of people he’d ripped off. He promised never to repeat the offence and blamed his behaviour on a gambling addiction. With files from Wendy Gillis