38C3 Ticket Scam: A Follow-Up

I got scammed. 500 Euros gone to someone selling fake 38C3 tickets on Twitter/X. The transaction seemed legitimate enough at the time. It wasn't. Classic case of wanting something badly enough that you ignore the warning signs.

This can happen to anyone. Even people who should know better.

First thing I did was report him to the CCC directly. My hope was that they could warn others before someone else fell for the same scheme. Then I filed a report with my local police, including all the details I had: the conversations, the bank account he used, everything.

A few days ago I received a letter from the police. The investigation has been stopped. They couldn't identify him well enough to link him to the crime. Frustrating, but not entirely surprising.

The somewhat interesting part: the bank account I reported led somewhere. Turns out he was involved in money laundering. So while they might not get him for my 500 Euros specifically, at least there's a chance he'll face consequences for something.

In January, I received another message. Supposedly from his wife, apologizing that things "couldn't work out." Right.

It was obviously him, reacting after the police got involved. A clumsy attempt at damage control or maybe trying to gauge if I was still paying attention. I didn't respond. There's nothing to say to someone who steals from people trying to attend a hacker conference.

The money is gone. That stings. But if reporting him helps stop even one future scam, or if the money laundering investigation leads somewhere, then at least something came from it.

Buy tickets through official channels. If you can't get one, accept it. The FOMO isn't worth 500 Euros and months of dealing with police reports.

I didn't end up attending 38C3. But honestly, it was okay. I had been dealing with a foot issue in the months before, and by December I had finally recovered. So instead of Congress, I spent that time hiking and actually using my foot again. Sometimes things work out differently than planned.