Alleged nationwide concert scam affects Pittsburgh venue

A special events venue in Pittsburgh, 25 Carrick Ave, has been affected by an alleged nationwide concert scam.

Brendan Elder, chief operating officer at Hearcorp, the audio/visual company that owns the space, had been in direct contact with a company called ARB Marketing looking to book a show.

The space at 25 Carrick Ave is the site of a former church, and Elder explained that the special events that Hearcorp holds there are infrequent — the last one was in November.

According to Elder, the representative he talked to at ARB Marketing was named Alex Bowen, who said he wanted to bring Alternative Symphony to play an orchestral rendition of Dr. Dre songs to the 25 Carrick Ave space.

“(ARB Marketing) had actually sent a press kit,” he said. “It was very professional.”

Elder said the company communicated via email that it wanted to book the concert quickly so tickets could be sold. After agreeing to host the event, Elder requested a deposit from ARB Marketing — which was never sent over.

After requesting the deposit once again within a month of the show, which he said was scheduled for April 20, he received an email from ARB Marketing saying the company was shutting down all operations and declaring bankruptcy.

Ticket holders would receive a refund within 30 days, Elder said, according to the email.

“That was when the alarm bells (went off) in the back of my head,” he said. “Is this a scam?”

And Elder could no longer reach ARB Marketing because all ways to contact the company by phone number and through email were shut down. The website also no longer exists.

He filed a complaint with Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry’s office on the day the show was supposed to occur. He said at that point, he was unaware that the alleged scam was widespread.

Brett Hambright, press secretary for the attorney general, said as of Friday, the office’s Bureau of Consumer Protection had received five complaints related to ARB Marketing. He said the office is unable to discuss any investigations or confirm their existence.

Elder said he got around 15 calls leading up to the April show from people who bought tickets.

They said the website where they purchased tickets was Ticket Tailor, a company based out of the United Kingdom, and there was no clear contact information for ticket holders to use to contact the company, according to Elder.

Elder then found out ARB Marketing had been selling tickets for a second date at the 25 Carrick Ave — June 22. It was to be a Biggie and 2Pac live orchestra concert, but Elder said he was completely unaware of the second intended event.

“I didn’t even see that get posted,” he said. “It’s just been shock and disappointment.”

Ahead of both dates, he said he posted a sign on the door at the 25 Carrick Ave venue alerting anyone who showed up to the prescheduled concerts of the possible scam, and he suggested that ticket holders contact their credit card companies.

Hearcorp also posted on its Facebook page regarding the June event and how the company suspects it was part of a “widespread scam.”

In Milwaukee, Wis., Clai Green owns The Clybourn wedding and event venue — where the exact same events transpired with ARB Marketing.

A Facebook user also posted the same story from Denver.

Dave Bjornson, the principal of Hearcorp and owner of the 25 Carrick Ave building, said Hearcorp was completely surprised by the whole ordeal.

“Honestly, it’s a pretty good scam,” he said. “It’s an interesting concept, and I understand why people would want to buy tickets to it.”

Though no money ever exchanged hands between ARB Marketing and Hearcorp, Bjornson said he hopes those who did purchase the tickets are able to get their money back.

“It’s a shame that we’re kind of having to deal with this fallout,” he said. “It puts us in a negative light with something we had nothing to do with — all we’re trying to do with that venue is provide a service to the community.”