WebVetted ™
Get started

vendor & contractor Scam Encyclopedia

3 Common Vendor & Contractor Scams & How To Avoid Them

Every pattern below is under active review by WebVetted analysts. Use this master playbook to compare screenshots, chat transcripts, or listings before you pay anyone claiming to operate on vendor & contractor.

Event Ticket Broker Scam Fake Home Repair Inspection Scam Wedding Vendor Deposit Ghosting

Vendor & Contractor scam guide

Is SeatGeek, Ticketmaster, or AXS Legit for Buying Tickets?

Yes, SeatGeek, Ticketmaster, and AXS are legitimate ticket platforms, but the pop-up "concierge" ticket brokers described above often mimic their branding, seat maps, or checkout flow to look like an authorized reseller when they are not. The question worth asking before you pay is not "is the big platform legit" but "is the specific seller or broker I'm about to pay actually authorized to sell through it."

  • If you're buying directly on seatgeek.com, ticketmaster.com, or axs.com, you're on the legitimate platform; the risk shows up when a broker, reseller, or "VIP concierge" site claims to source tickets from one of these platforms but takes payment outside of it.
  • SeatGeek and Ticketmaster both offer buyer guarantees for tickets purchased directly through their marketplaces; a broker who insists on wire transfer or wants payment before confirming your seat assignment is stepping outside that protection.
  • AXS tickets are typically tied to mobile transfer, so a seller offering AXS tickets as printable PDFs or screenshots is a red flag worth checking before you pay.

vendor Scam

Event Ticket Broker Scam

Pop-up ticket brokers pretend to be local concierge firms, then disappear with payment when events sell out. WebVetted audits their LLC records, physical addresses, and marketplace complaints to keep your seats safe.

Red flags

  • Broker refuses escrow or insists on instant wire transfers.
  • Business address maps to a mailbox store or coworking space.
  • No photos, licensing, or staff names on the website or invoice.

How to Respond

  1. Search the broker via the Local Business Check for licenses and litigation.
  2. Confirm with the venue box office that the broker is an authorized reseller.
  3. Hold payments until you can verify seat assignments through the official ticketing system.

đź“Ś Case study

We stopped a “VIP ticket broker” that collected $40k for Formula 1 seats and never delivered, even though the LLC was registered a week earlier. Another outfit pretended to be tied to a theater but used a Gmail address for contracts.

Related tools

vendor Scam

Fake Home Repair Inspection Scam

Scammers pose as licensed inspectors, demand deposits, and vanish before any work begins. WebVetted checks licensing data, litigation history, and customer complaints to see if the “inspector” is real.

Red flags

  • Company name does not appear in state contractor or inspector databases.
  • Insists on cash deposits before providing a written scope of work.
  • Only reachable through prepaid cell numbers or messaging apps.

How to Respond

  1. Look up the business through the Local Business Check to confirm licenses and complaints.
  2. Call prior clients or references they list and confirm those jobs actually happened.
  3. If funds were lost, file police and licensing complaints with the WebVetted dossier attached.

đź“Ś Case study

We profiled a Florida duo that created a fake mold inspection LLC and booked ten homes before disappearing with deposits. Another ring printed forged insurance certificates and used them to talk elderly homeowners into upfront payments.

Related tools

vendor Scam

Wedding Vendor Deposit Ghosting

Fraudulent planners and photographers launch Instagram portfolios, take deposits, and disappear weeks before the event. WebVetted correlates business filings, tax IDs, and review signals so you know who is safe to book.

Red flags

  • Portfolio photos reverse-image-search to unrelated weddings.
  • Contract lacks venue details or clear refund triggers.
  • Business name differs from the one on their payment account.

How to Respond

  1. Use the Local Business Check to verify registration, liens, and lawsuits.
  2. Ask venues and other vendors if they have actually worked with this person.
  3. Pay through methods that support chargebacks and document all promises in writing.

đź“Ś Case study

One planner we tracked copied Pinterest boards and never showed up for three destination weddings. Another vendor took Venmo deposits, then deleted every social profile after pocketing the cash.

Related tools

Verification steps

Put the playbook to work

How to Check a Ticket Broker or Local Vendor Before You Pay

  1. 1 Confirm with the venue's box office directly whether the broker or reseller you're dealing with is an authorized partner — this single call resolves most cases quickly.
  2. 2 Search the business name plus "reviews," "complaints," or "reddit" to see what other buyers have experienced with this specific seller, not just the platform they claim to represent.
  3. 3 Hold payment until you can verify seat assignments or a written scope of work, and avoid wire transfers or cash requests that bypass buyer protections.
  4. 4 Run the broker or vendor through the Local Business Check to pull licensing, litigation, and complaint history into one report before you commit.

No single check guarantees a vendor is legitimate. A clean result means nothing suspicious surfaced in that pass, not a guarantee of delivery — confirming directly with the venue or platform alongside the business check is what actually protects your payment.

Before you take action

Commonly asked questions about Vendor & Contractor Scams

Is SeatGeek legit?

Yes, SeatGeek is a legitimate ticket marketplace with a buyer guarantee for purchases made directly through its platform. The scams that show up in this category usually involve third-party brokers or resellers who claim to source SeatGeek tickets but take payment outside the platform, not SeatGeek itself.

Is SeatGeek legit for concert tickets?

Generally yes, when you buy directly through seatgeek.com or the SeatGeek app. Be more cautious with third-party sellers advertising concert tickets "through SeatGeek" on social media or classifieds, since that is where most named-broker scams originate.

Is SeatGeek legit for MLB or NFL tickets?

Yes, sports tickets purchased directly on SeatGeek are covered by the same buyer guarantee as any other event. The risk profile changes for high-demand games where scalpers and unauthorized brokers are more active outside the platform.

Is AXS legit?

Yes, AXS is a legitimate ticketing platform used by many major venues, and its mobile-transfer system is specifically designed to reduce resale fraud. Be wary of any seller offering "AXS tickets" as a printed PDF or screenshot instead of a mobile transfer.

How do I know if a home inspector or wedding vendor is licensed?

Search the business name in your state's contractor or professional licensing database before paying a deposit, and ask for references you can independently contact. A vendor who cannot be found in state records, or who only accepts cash upfront, is a strong warning sign.

Need evidence for a bank or police report?

Generate a full entity dossier plus user-submitted reviews and then share the PDF with law enforcement or platform trust teams.

Launch the Investigation & Vetting Tool